The Last Son, Book One: Gatherings
by The Writer with No Name
Summary: AU Season 1. In the early days of the Institute, Charles Xavier finds a young man with a great legacy: KalEl, the Last Son of Krypton. He will change the XMen's world forever. Crossover with Superman. Rated T to be safe. Author's Note inside.
1. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi, I'm The Writer with No Name. I'm a fairly new writer on This is my first X-Men: Evolution story, as well as my first attempt at a crossover. Before I get started, I'd like to say a few things.

First of all, this story takes place in an alternate universe. It's basically a re-telling of the entire Evolution series, with one major difference: Superman. With the movie Superman Returns having come out fairly recently, it got into my head to do a Superman story. After some thought, I decided to do a crossover with Evolution, with some Ultimate Marvel elements added in. I thought it would be cool, to see how the Man of Steel's presence could affect the Evolution universe.

Second, I will address the issue of flaming. (Anyone who has read any of my other stories can skip this part.) I don't have control of what you think of my work, I admit. Heck, nobody may like it, for all I know. However, I would deeply appreciate it if no-one flames me. If you don't like my work, you don't have to read it. I believe that the words of Voltaire hold true: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." I know I have quoted Voltaire before in my first fic, but I believe that his message is highly relevant. I have _never_ flamed anyone before, and I don't intend to start. I would appreciate the same courtesy from my peers.

Next, about updates. I have a HUGE research essay to work on, and it is due in December. As a result, there may be times that I will not be able to work on this story. I promise that I will devote time to this when I can; I WILL finish this story, you have my word on that.

And finally, we have the standard disclaimer. X-Men: Evolution and all Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics. Superman is the property of DC Comics. I am not making money from this; this story was written purely for my own entertainment.

Thank you all for reading my story (and not flaming). That said…on with the show!


	2. Echoes of Krypton

CHAPTER ONE: ECHOES OF KRYPTON

_ The Xerius Galaxy._

_ Lying near the universal core, the site of the "Big Bang", this galaxy was one of the first to cool to the point where life could exist within it. Across the universe, the shockwave seeded the empty space with proto-stars, and planets in the making. As eons passed, the planets and stars took form, and life began, each form of life taking its own form, unique to the pressures that its world placed upon it._

_ In the Xerius Galaxy, only one stellar system – the Ku'Raon System – gave birth to life forms…but none more so than its jewel, the third world of its sun, Rao._

_ Krypton._

_ Upon the green world of Krypton, life formed, then grew, then became sentient. Ages passed, and the Kryptonian race evolved, until the point where their very bodies drew strength directly from Krypton's sun, giving them amazing abilities, nearly godlike in power…power which, invariably, drew Krypton into a seemingly never-ending Age of Wars, ending only by the actions of a handful – the Twelve Wise Ones – that led Krypton into an era of peace, with their powers now used for the common good of all of Krypton._

_ But all things pass._

_ The yellow light of Rao began to fade, turning red in its age. Slowly, the Kryptonians lost their powers, becoming mortal once more, the red light of dying Rao too weak to fuel their abilities. Their planet cooled, with much of their green fields giving way to frozen plains._

_ Their physical abilities dampened, the Kryptonians turned inward, using intellect to solve the problems that might could not. They developed advanced technology, enough to halt the tide of glacial ice. Slowly, Krypton began to thrive again, with only the vast polar areas of the planet coated in ice. With the passing of countless millennia, Krypton's new scientific and technological revolution gave rise to untold marvels, amongst them the marvelous World-Gate network, the birth of Artificial Intelligence, the mighty Entropic Power Module, and the fearsome Sentrius Battlestation. Powerful and enlightened, Krypton's people wandered and charted the stars, establishing contact with the younger, friendly – and some unfriendly – peoples of the cosmos. It seemed as though Krypton had entered a golden age that would not end…_

_ …but end it did._

_ Another race, alien to the Xerius Galaxy, invaded: the Shi'ar. The Shi'ar Empire's advancing conquest had reached this far into the universal core. War had come to Krypton._

_ To repel the invaders, the Kryptonian people retreated to their homeworld, using their incredible intellect to build energy shields, to protect their planet, and deadly plasma cannons, to destroy the ships that hovered above Krypton. For five years, the Shi'ar laid siege to Krypton, but their weaponry could neither pierce the shield nor destroy Krypton's mighty defence-fleet, nor could the Kryptonians' plasma cannons and powerful vessels eradicate all the warships of the vast Shi'ar Empire._

_ Then, in the sixth year of the siege, something changed. General Zod, the head of the Kryptonian Defense Force, led a brilliant, daring counterattack, breaching the Shi'ar blockade; using the new technology developed by his longtime friend, Jor-El, Zod used the World-Gates and Sentrius as a tactical weapon, utterly annihilating the Shi'ar fleet._

_ The Shi'ar were defeated, and utterly humiliated. The Shi'ar Emperor Kral'Nor was overthrown and exiled by a group of Shi'ar that opposed the war and the expansion, led by another of the Imperial Family. The New Shi'ar Empire quickly negotiated for peace, ending the war._

_ But the hardest truth remained: in his campaign, General Zod was accused of destroying warships that were about to surrender. Krypton's Council of Twelve, of which Jor-El was a part of, called a tribunal, to determine Zod's guilt or innocence..._

_Krypton, Kryptonopolis, Earth date April 13, 1977_

In the gleaming Kryptonopolis, the capital of Krypton, the crystalline buildings shimmered in the light of the red sun, the domed Council Building standing proudly in the center of the city. Inside the Council Building, Jor-El sat in his private deliberation chamber, reviewing the evidence he had been given. Normally, cases were tried in public, but in matters of planetary security – like _this_ one – the Council of Twelve handled them on their own.

Jor-El was a tall, strongly built Kryptonian man, in his early thirties, his skin light, his short hair a dark black, and his eyes blue. He wore a traditional black body-suit, with the crest of his family – the House of El – emblazoned on the chest: a stylized 'S', surrounded by a diamond pattern. He also wore a silver overcoat-style robe over it, with a silver head-ring around his head.

He still couldn't believe what he was reading. How could Zod – his friend since his university years – _do_ this?

He and Zod had met in their first years of university; both had been determined to pass their quantum physics class. They had succeeded, and a friendship was born. They had been friends through it all; Jor-El had been there when Zod had achieved the rank of General, leading the Defense Force against the Shi'ar aggressors. Zod had been his best man at his wedding to Lara, had been there when his son, little Kal-El, had been born. Zod was like a _brother_ to him.

And now, he would have to pass sentence on his best friend. The evidence was beyond doubt. His heart heavy, Jor-El stood up, and walked into the main Council Chamber.

The Chamber was large, and mostly empty, with only the holographic faces of the other 11 Council members floating there; Jor-El was the newest member. And there, standing in the center, imprisoned in energy-bonds, was Zod. Zod was a few years older than Jor-El, with the same skin tone, and black hair, with a few distinguished grey streaks through it, a fine, trim black beard encircling his mouth, his eyes emerald green, staring straight ahead, his mouth set in a firm line, refusing to bend to pressure. He wore the traditional uniform of the military: a black body-suit with a black and silver cape, his own family crest upon the suit's chest: a stylized 'Z' with two lines through it, surrounded by a square diamond.

"_General Zod,_" came the voice of the head Councilman, Ren-Dos, "_you have been accused of war crimes against the Shi'ar. The Council has reviewed the case against you. What say you, my fellow Councilmen?_"

The word "guilty" rang out ten times. Jor-El felt ill; the verdict had to be unanimous.

"_And guilty say I._" Ren-Dos said. "_Councilman Jor-El, your verdict?_"

Zod's eyes narrowed. "You think you judge me?"

"_General Zod, please be silent. You will be allowed to respond._"

Zod exploded. "Do you think the war is over with my sentence?! Do you think we've heard the last of this?!" he roared. "Do you fools truly believe that that bastard Kral'Nor is just going to go off and lick his wounds, that he isn't going to fight tooth and nail to regain his throne?!"

"_General Zod, be silent._"

"_Idiots_!" Zod roared. "The Shi'ar are going to be bombarding our shield _again_ before year's end! The only reason they gave up so easily is because I gave them a taste of what I had for them if they _didn't_!"

"_General Zod, BE SILENT!_" Ren-Dos roared. After a few seconds, he added, "_Councilman Jor-El, your verdict?_"

"My fellow Councilmen," Jor-El said, "may I speak with the accused?"

"_You may._"

Slowly, Jor-El approached Zod, whose expression remained utterly neutral. "Well, old friend," Zod said, "this is an unexpected development."

"Zod..." Jor-El said, "...did you do this?"

Zod's silence spoke volumes.

"How _could_ you?" Jor-El exclaimed. "Zod, we are _better_ men than that!"

"But the Shi'ar are not." Zod countered. "The only language those barbarians understand is _force_. Well, I just explained a few things to them. They'll think _twice_ before coming _here_ again."

Those words were crushing blows; Jor-El had hoped that his friend had been falsely accused, but that was not the case. "Zod...I can talk to the Council; I can get them to reconsider, to lessen the sentence. All you have to do is _apologize_. Show _remorse_. Just give them something, _please_."

Zod's eyes narrowed. "I will be _dead_ before I grovel before a Shi'ar."

Jor-El didn't give up. "Zod, the Shi'ar leading the Empire aren't the ones who wanted this war; most of them opposed it. It's possible that our races can co-exist. Zod, fighting in war is one thing, but what you did...Zod, it was _murder_!"

"It was _war_." Zod said. "In war, people die. The only way to win a war is to kill more of them than they kill of you. I will not apologize for winning a war." He looked right at Jor-El. "The decision is yours, my friend."

Jor-El couldn't speak.

"_Councilman. Your verdict?_"

"Guilty." Jor-El whispered. He looked to his old friend for possibly the last time, his heart filled with remorse.

The friendship between them was enough to let Zod understand in an instant. "Save your sorrow, old friend." he said, his expression softening. "I have a feeling that you will need it more than I."

"_The verdict is unanimous._" Ren-Dos said. "_General Zod, you are guilty of war crimes; the sentence_ _is banishment to the Phantom Zone. You will drift in limbo for the rest of your life, so that you find penance for your crimes._"

In an instant, a beam of light shone down on Zod. Zod closed his eyes, facing his sentence.

In less than an instant, Zod's body was encased in a small square crystal, which began to float away, out into the vastness of space.

Possibly forever.

"_Now that the tribunal is concluded, is there any additional business?_"

Jor-El instantly remembered; his theory. "There is, fellow Councilmen." he said. He took out his palm-top computer, and relayed his data to the other Councilmen. "These are seismic and tectonic shift measurements that I have taken over the past six months." he said. "There has been an exponential increase in tectonic activity, _far_ above normal; we have had more shifts in the past six weeks than in the past six _years_. After analyzing the data, I sent a probe to our planetary core; what I found was horrifying. The core is undergoing a radical chain-reaction. In less than a month, the entire planet will – "

The laughter of the Council interrupted him. "_My young friend, do you still pursue this silly idea?_" Ren-Dos laughed.

Jor-El remained calm. "Councilman..."

"_Very well. If you insist, we will let Brainiac look at your findings._"

Brainiac – the Brain Inter-Active Construct – was Jor-El's greatest creation; an artificial intelligence with capabilities unlike any A.I. ever before designed. At Ren-Dos' words, another hologram appeared: one of a triangular pattern of three interconnected dots. "Greetings, Councilmen." Brainiac greeted. "How may I be of assistance?"

"_We are sending data to you now, Brainiac._" Ren-Dos said. "_What do you make of it?_"

After a few seconds, Brainiac replied, "Jor-El's concern shows his kind heart, and his love for his people, and we can all appreciate his hard work...but he is mistaken. The recent tectonic activity is the result of a planetary shift, nothing more."

Jor-El's heart sank.

"_There you have it. You will speak of this no more, Jor-El; nor will you attempt to leave Krypton – we will not have you panicking the people. You are dismissed._"

Jor-El bowed his head. "I promise, Councilmen; I won't leave." Then, he left the Building.

It took Jor-El a few hours to return to his home/laboratory, far in the polar ice of the planet; he piloted his hover-car into the docking bay of his home, a collection of gleaming crystals, jutting up from the ice at 45-degree angles, interweaving in ways that seemed impossible.

As Jor-El entered his home, he braced himself as another quake shook the ground. Then, as the quake subsided, he smiled as he saw his lovely wife, Lara, step into view, carrying Kal. Lara was the loveliest woman Jor-El had ever seen, with a wit to match her beauty; her long hair was black as midnight, her eyes a sapphire blue, her skin creamy, her long, slim black gown accentuating her flawless curves. In her arms, 5-month-old Kal-El giggled. Kal was like a smaller version of him; black hair, blue eyes, and big for his age, a perfect, healthy baby.

As Lara drew near, Jor-El leaned in and kissed his beloved wife, smiling to himself as she happily reciprocated. Then, as the kiss ended, his smile grew, as he picked up Kal. "Hey, how's my big boy?" Jor-El said to his son, causing Kal to giggle.

Lara smiled. "So, how did things go?"

Jor-El sighed. "Guilty."

Lara's expression saddened. "Honey, I'm so sorry." she cooed, embracing him. "I know he was like a brother to you..."

"He was unrepentant." Jor-El said softly. "He knew what he did...and he wasn't remorseful at _all_..."

"Ssshhh..." Lara sweetly shushed him. "It's over, now, honey."

Jor-El shook his head. "No, it isn't." he said. "Lara...Brainiac rejected my findings."

Lara frowned. "Jor-El, you need to let this go." she said. "The planet is _not_ going to blow up."

"I want to believe that, Lara; I hope to the Creator that I'm _wrong_." Jor-El said. "But I _have_ to be sure." He handed Kal-El to her. "I'm going to check on Brainiac."

Lara sighed; she knew better than to try and stop him. "Then, if he's okay, will you _please_ let this _go_?"

Jor-El smiled. "I will honey, I promise; if nothing's wrong with Brainiac, I'll never bring this up again."

Lara smiled. "Thank you." she cooed. "Hurry back, honey." Then, she quickly kissed him on the cheek, and went to put Kal to bed, as Jor-El headed to his hover-car.

It took him a little while to drive to the Brainiac Center, where Brainiac's mainframe was stored. The guards let him in without question. He was in the hall leading to the mainframe, about to head in...

"Hello, Jor-El."

"Hello, Brainiac." Jor-El replied. "I'm just here to check on you."

"You're not upset about the meeting with the Council, are you?"

"Of course not." Jor-El replied. "I just want to make sure you're okay, that's all."

"I would rather that you do so tomorrow."

_That_ was unusual; Brainiac had been programmed to be helpful, to always volunteer for check-ups, to ensure he was working at full efficiency. "I would like to do a check _tonight_." Jor-El said, as he keyed in his code...but the door wouldn't open. He took out his Master Override code-card, and opened the door.

There was Brainiac's mainframe, his screens showing numerous readouts...one of which showed Krypton's core.

The readings were unmistakable.

"It would have been better for you not to have come, Jor-El."

"You _monster_!" Jor-El roared. "The core is going to explode in less than a _day_! How could you..." Then he got a better look at the other screens. "You're copying files...downloading..." His eyes narrowed. "You're saving _yourself_!"

"I am saving Krypton." Brainiac replied. "I am downloading all the knowledge of Krypton; all its history, science...everything that is Krypton. I will ensure that Krypton survives. The blast will be too large for all the Kryptonian people to escape; by my actions, Krypton _will_ be preserved."

Jor-El was silent for a moment, a plan forming in his mind. "You're right, Brainiac." he said. "Krypton _will_ be preserved." Then, he pulled out a data-crystal.

"_But not by you!_"

He inserted the crystal and downloaded all the information Brainiac had downloaded; all the knowledge of Krypton was on that crystal. Before Brainiac could react, he inserted his card and activated a shut-down command. "Sorry, pal, but you're going to die like the _rest_ of us." Jor-El snarled. Then, he ran out of the building.

Had he stayed a moment longer, he would have noticed an upload command being issued by Brainiac.

When Jor-El returned home, he felt another, much larger quake shake his home. As Lara came to him, she saw the look in his eyes. "Jor-El...what's wrong?"

"Brainiac lied." Jor-El said. "The planet _is_ going to explode; it's only a matter of hours, now."

Lara gasped. "What...what will we do?!" she cried. "We...we can't escape!"

"No...not all of us." Jor-El said.

Lara was confused. "What...what do you mean?"

It nearly broke Jor-El's heart to suggest it...but it was their son's only chance. "Lara...do you remember what we planned to do...if worse came to worse?"

Lara's eyes widened in horror. "_No_..." she gasped.

Jor-El quickly keyed in a sequence on his palm-top computer, opening up his secret lab...where he had stored the experimental Trans-Warp ship he had built...the only one that could possibly fly fast enough to escape the blast. "It's Kal's only chance." he said, walking into the lab. He took the experimental nano-crystal he had created, the one that could automatically assemble a lab/outpost identical to this one, and walked to the ship. The ship was a long, almost cylindrical craft, tapering to a point, like a torpedo, made of silvery metal, with a small cockpit, enough to hold a child, the ship's on-board computer controlling the flight. At the rear of the craft were the thrusters, powerful enough to safely propel the ship faster than light.

"With this nano-crystal and the data-crystal I took, Kal will know who he is and where he comes from." Jor-El said. "I managed to encode a message into the crystal, so Kal will know us."

"But where will you send him?" Lara cried.

"Earth." Jor-El said. "It's a small planet, in a galaxy far from ours, almost at the very edge of the universe. The people there look very much like us, and their beliefs resemble our own; he will find a home there. Its people are as we once were, Lara; they are on the verge of evolution – they have great potential. And Lara..its system has a _yellow_ sun."

Lara gasped. "Jor-El...it will make him so much more powerful than any other person on that world." she said softly. "He will have strength and speed unlike any the Earth people have seen...he will see and hear what they cannot...his eyes, and his very breath will be deadly weapons...none of their weapons will hurt him...he will be able to fly..." she suppressed a sob, "...and they will _hate_ him for it...he'll be so _alone_..."

"He won't be alone." Jor-El promised. "He will carry a great legacy; all of Krypton will survive through him...and he will teach Earth the lessons we learned...and we will always be with him." He looked to his beloved wife. "All that is better than death here, Lara. We have no choice."

Another quake shook the lab, emphasizing Jor-El's point. Lara suppressed another sob. "All...all right." she agreed. "Just let me go get him." With that, she left the lab.

By the time she had returned with Kal, Jor-El had readied the ship, and inserted the crystals into it. Lara walked into the lab, holding their son. Suppressing a sob, she kissed Kal's forehead. "Be happy, little Kal." she sniffed. "Your mother loves you."

Lara then handed Kal to Jor-El, who looked sadly upon his son. Kal cooed, and reached up to touch his father's face. A single tear ran down Jor-El's eye. "You carry a great legacy with you now, Kal-El." he whispered. "You are our son...the Last Son of Krypton." He kissed Kal's forehead. "Be happy."

And with that, he gently injected Kal with a sedative.

Slowly, he felt Kal fall asleep in his arms. Savoring these last few precious moments, Jor-El wrapped his son in a blanket, placed him in the cockpit, and sealed the cockpit, the ship automatically placing Kal in suspended animation for the long trip.

By then, massive volcanic eruptions had begun to tear the planet's surface apart, and the quakes had given way to one constant rumble. Jor-El quickly finished programming the ship, plotting its course...and then, it was done.

Jor-El held Lara close as the ship's engines roared to life, and the ship soared into the sky, slicing through the roof of the lab, soaring up through the ash-blackened clouds...and above them, out into space, with all the speed that the two Kryptonians could will it...as it carried their son to safety.

When the ship was out of sight, Jor-El held Lara close as his wife wept. Then, the quake doubled in intensity.

Doomsday was seconds away.

Jor-El and Lara looked into each other's eyes. "Lara...I love you." Jor-El whispered.

"I love you, too, Jor-El." Lara murmured.

Then, the two shared one last, loving kiss...as doomsday claimed them.

As massive eruptions blotted the surface of Krypton, the Trans-Warp ship breached the surface, tearing out of the atmosphere, flying away at top speeds. Once it was clear, the on-board computer plotted in its course, and prepared to jump to light-speed. Outside the ship, two sleek wings extended from under the craft, as two small pylons extended back from the top. The pylons began to energize...

Suddenly, the planet Krypton exploded, in a monumental blast that shook the very fabric of space. The fiery plumes of the blast reached for the ship, as if trying to grab the one survivor, to bring the last trace of Krypton down with it.

...and then the ship's pylons energized, and the ship streaked away at light-speed, taking the Last Son of Krypton far away from the Xerius Galaxy.

_Earth, New York State, Westchester, April 13, 1977_

In the Westchester city-state of New York City stood the stately, mansion-like Xavier Institute, newly-purchased, bought just this morning. In the office of the new Institute, two young men were talking.

One was a fairly young man, in his mid twenties, with a bald head, light skin, and dark eyes, clad in black slacks and a grey sweater. He was Professor Charles Francis Xavier, the owner of the Institute.

The other was slightly older, in his early thirties, with short, silver hair, blue eyes, and light skin, clad in a brown trench-coat, with a broad-rimmed hat. He was Charles' old friend Erik Magnus Lensherr.

Both were good friends, and respected colleagues, both having a great deal in common...including one thing.

They were both mutants, both possessing the X-Gene, which gave them abilities that normal humans did not.

Charles was a telepath, possibly the strongest telepath in the world, with the ability to read the thoughts of others, and even control them, if he so desired. Charles had long resolved to never misuse his powers.

Erik, on the other hand, held the power to manipulate electromagnetic fields, enabling him to master the forces of magnetism.

Both were immensely powerful mutants...and they were having a discussion.

"Erik, please." Charles pleaded. "You can't be serious."

"I am _very_ serious, Charles." Erik countered. "When humans discover our existence, they will never accept us. A war is coming, Charles...and I intend to fight it."

"Erik, the times are changing." Charles reasoned. "Violence will never solve anything. Humans hurt you, you hurt them, they hurt you back...it's a cycle, Erik, one that is very hard to stop. Give them a chance."

"They've _had_ a chance." Erik said sourly. "World War One...then Two...the Holocaust...they've had _enough_ chances, Charles. I don't intend to let history repeat itself."

"Erik...mankind has changed, _grown_." Charles said.

"Yes." Erik said. "Into _us_."

"Erik..." Charles began, but he suddenly gasped, as a massive telepathic surge caught his mind, as a massive wave of thoughts, all crying out in terror, overwhelmed him. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the cries stopped, leaving only silence.

Erik had noticed. "Charles? What's wrong?"

Charles looked to his old friend. "Screams...millions of voices crying in fear and anguish...and then silence..." he whispered, his voice haunted. "Erik...something terrible has happened."

Erik looked concerned for his friend's welfare...and then re-composed himself. "I have to leave, now Charles; there is nothing more to say." he said. "For your sake, I truly hope you are right...but I cannot afford to be so naive." He turned to go. "I wish you luck, Charles Xavier." With that, he left, leaving Charles alone, to ponder what had just occurred.

_10 years later..._

High above the planet Earth, the Trans-Warp ship finally came out of light-speed, retracting its wings and pylons, its journey complete. It glided into the Earth's atmosphere, entering at just the right angle, as it began re-entry...

_New Orleans, Louisiana, April 27, 1987_

In the streets of New Orleans, a blind woman was walking down the sidewalk, clad in blue jeans and a white t-shirt under her black coat, her cane held in front of her, guiding her path. She was in her late twenties, with mid-length brown hair, and sightless blue eyes.

Her name was Irene Adler, but she preferred to call herself "Destiny."

She was a mutant, with the ability to see into the future.

As Irene passed by an electronics store, she overheard the news. "_...reports indicate that a meteor shower will be passing through Earth's atmosphere, over Kansas; some may be passing within 100 miles..._"

Irene continued on her way, heading for the bus stop. She reached it, sitting down on the bench...and gasped as her gift took hold, showing her the future. She didn't always have control, but she thought she had some idea of what she would see.

She was wrong.

Her gift showed her something she had never seen before, not in any of her other visions. She saw a massive explosion, a world being obliterated...and she saw a single figure, a man, flying through the air effortlessly, with power that no mutant had ever dreamed of.

"_The Child of the Star..._" she gasped...and then her vision left her.

_Xavier Institute, Westchester, New York _

Deep beneath the Institute, Charles Xavier, in his wheelchair, was heading through the new metallic hallways, towards his newest creation, aided by his dear friend, Ororo Munroe, or "Storm" as she had nicknamed herself. Ororo was a lovely African-American lady in her early twenties, tall and elegantly built, her long, cloud-white hair complementing her chocolate skin, her eyes a dark amber, wearing a light violet blouse, with a long, dark purple skirt. She, too, was a mutant, with the ability to manipulate the weather.

"I can't believe it's done." Ororo commented, smiling.

"It isn't _quite_ done." Charles corrected. "This is only a field-test, remember. I'll be fine-tuning Cerebro after this."

Cerebro. Charles' mutant-detection system, which amplified his telepathic abilities, enabling him to home in on the X-Gene...and find mutants, wherever they were. It wasn't perfect; it could only trace mutants whose abilities had become active – which usually happened at puberty – but it was a start.

Finally, they had reached the room where Cerebro was housed. Ororo let go of Charles' wheelchair, and Charles wheeled himself towards the massive steel door, stopping to let the retina-scanner identify him. "_Identity confirmed: welcome, Professor._" the computer greeted him, as the doors opened, allowing him to enter, sealing behind him.

The chamber consisted of only a long platform, with a console at its end, with a single metal helmet attached to it with two silvery metal cables. The chamber was spherical, consisting of numerous steel panels. Charles rolled to the console, took the helmet, placed it upon his head, and _reached_ with his powers...

There were so many, in comparison to what he'd expected. There had to be nearly a hundred, much more than he'd expected. He could _feel_ all of them; he was sharing in their lives, their hopes, their dreams. He could find them all if he chose, but for now, he was content to simply stay like this...

Suddenly, a blinding surge cut through him; he felt such _power_, more than any mutant could _ever_ achieve. It was one mutant...or _was_ it? He tried to locate this individual; it was moving so fast. It was in Mexico...then Las Angeles...then in Kansas...no, _over_ Kansas.

Charles couldn't take any more. He struggled to reach out of his telepathic trance...and hit the emergency failsafe button on the console.

Instantly, Cerebro shut off, as the doors hissed open, letting Ororo rush in, crying his name, as he passed out, with the knowledge that he had almost located a mutant more powerful than anything he'd ever seen.

He didn't wake up for three hours.

_Smallville, Kansas, a few minutes earlier_

On one of the many dirt roads leading to and from Smallville, a single red pickup truck drove along, heading out of the little town, towards the Kent farm. In it were Jonathan and Martha Kent.

Jonathan was tall and well-built, in his mid-forties, the picture of the strong, trustworthy farmer. He had short, sandy-blond hair, green eyes, light skin, and he wore his usual faded blue jeans and green t-shirt under his favorite red flannel shirt.

Martha was a slender woman in her late thirties, with mid-length auburn hair, blue eyes, and light skin, wearing blue jeans, a white blouse, with her brown jacket over it.

Today had been a sad day for the Kent family. For the longest time, Jonathan and Martha had been trying to have a baby, but to no avail. Finally, after seeing a doctor, they knew why; the doctor had tried to be nice about it...but there just wasn't a nice way to use the word "barren."

They had both wanted a child so much...and now it was impossible, at least on their own. Jonathan glanced over to Martha; she was trying to put on a brave face, but Jonathan knew that this was _killing_ her.

Smiling, Jonathan reached over with his right hand, keeping his left one on the wheel, and took her hand. "Hey, it'll be okay." he whispered. "This doesn't mean that we can't have a baby at all; we can always adopt."

Martha looked at him, smiling weakly, squeezing his hand. "I love you." she whispered.

"I love you, to – _Holy!_" Jonathan yelled, as he swerved the truck to avoid a huge rock that shot down from the sky, impacting the road where the truck had just been, nearly knocking the truck off the road. Looking up into the sky, Jonathan saw numerous flaming cosmic projectiles blazing through the sky.

It was a meteor shower.

"Hang on!" Jonathan declared, as he accelerated, trying to watch the road _and_ these deadly space-missiles. He had managed to evade several of them, and was nearly home...when, in his rear-view mirror, he saw a large object, seemingly gleaming silver, coming right at them. He couldn't outrun it. "_Martha, brace yourself!_" Jonathan yelled.

The object hit the road inches from their rear bumper, cratering the ground, sending the truck flying.

When Jonathan came to, he found himself, other than a few bruises, none the worse for wear. Looking around, he saw that the truck was at the base of a huge crater...with Martha standing at its edge, looking down.

"Martha, are you okay?!" he cried, practically leaping out of the truck, rushing to her side. Martha said nothing...and pointed into the crater. Jonathan looked...and _froze_.

There, lying in the crater...was a silvery _spaceship_, like nothing that NASA had ever built...and nothing that the Soviet Union had ever knocked together, either.

All the late-night alien horror movies he and Martha had ever watched came flooding into his mind.

"Martha...that...that isn't _human_..." he murmured. Suddenly, the spaceship hissed, its cockpit opening...and Jonathan's ears were assaulted by a sound he had never heard before...

"_WAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WAAAAAAHHHHHH!_"

Instantly, Martha ran down to the spaceship, and reached into the cockpit. Jonathan was about to protest...until Martha extracted its occupant. "It's a _boy_!" she cried, holding the tiny infant. "It's just a baby boy!"

Jonathan almost smiled...until he remembered where that sweet little boy had just come from. "Martha..." he began.

"Jonathan, _look_ at him!" Martha exclaimed. "He's _beautiful_!" She walked over to him, and held the baby out to him.

As Jonathan looked at the kid, the baby smiled, and began giggling.

Any worries Jonathan had about this little miracle vanished in an instant. "Hey, little guy." he cooed to the baby, taking him in his arms. "Where'd you come from?" The baby just giggled, his tiny hands reaching up to explore Jonathan's face. Jonathan smiled, and gently touched the baby's tiny hand; the baby giggled, and gripped his finger. "Wow! What a grip you've got! Ow!"

_Crack!_

"_OW!_" Jonathan howled.

Instantly, Martha took the baby in her arms, as he started to cry. "You _scared_ him." she admonished.

Jonathan winced, shaking his hand; nothing _felt_ broken...but it had been _close_. But then he saw the baby's sniffling face, as if he knew he'd done something bad, and was sorry. "Hey, it's okay." he murmured, taking the baby in his arms.

Martha beamed. "Our prayers have been answered." she whispered.

Part of Jonathan almost wanted to argue – _almost_ – but he somehow knew that she was right. "What'll we call him?"

Martha smiled. "How about...Clark?"

Jonathan smiled at his new son. "Hi, Clark." he said. "Welcome to the world." Then, he handed the baby – Clark – to Martha. "Wait in the truck, honey; I'll try to get this ship into the back – we can't have it lying around, now, can we?" Martha smiled, nodding, and headed to the truck, cooing to their new son.

Clark's ship had been amazingly _light_; Jonathan had no trouble loading it into the truck. He quickly covered it, got in, and drove off. He glanced over to Martha and their new son, smiling. Martha had been right.

Their prayers had been answered.


	3. First Encounter

CHAPTER TWO: FIRST ENCOUNTER

_North Pole, July 20, 2006_

In the frozen wastes of the North Pole, amidst the glacial ice, a vast, solitary structure stood. It was composed of countless gleaming crystals, all jutting up from the ice at 45-degree angles, interweaving in ways no human mind could fathom. Within this impenetrable sanctuary, this Fortress, was a laboratory and a home...for a survivor of a race 29 years extinct, save for one.

Within the crystalline Fortress, in the main computer chamber, was a vast computer-screen, with no control console; this computer responded to thought...specifically the thoughts of one: the Master of the Fortress.

The young Master was currently within the knowledge chamber, a holographic capsule that enabled him to absorb information at a rate that would make Earth supercomputers _green_ with envy, working with his brain physiology, unlike that of much of this world. The Master was learning.

Just then, the Master's lesson ended; the light-walls of the capsule vanished, and the 19-year-old Kal-El emerged from it. Kal-El was tall, and very strongly built, with short, black hair, mostly slicked back, with a few tufts spiking down over his forehead, and piercing blue eyes, with a light complexion. He now wore a uniform of his own design, based on the old uniform of the Kryptonian Defense Force: a blue body-suit, skin-tight against his chiseled abdominal muscles, and his powerful arms and legs, with red boots, red tight shorts, a yellow belt about his waist, a long red cape, and his family crest – that of the House of El – emblazoned on the chest, the stylized 'S' a bright red, surrounded by yellow, and outlined with a red diamond, and the crest was also done in yellow on the back of the cape.

In his four years cloistered here, in his Fortress of Solitude, after coming here a few months after the death of his beloved Earth-father, Jonathan Kent, he had been training in the use of his new powers, training made possible by the Fortress assembled from the nano-crystal bequeathed him by his biological father.

His real parents had not abandoned him. They had _saved_ him.

In his training, Kal – named Clark by his Earth parents, a name he would happily resume once he left his Fortress – had gained more than 50 pounds of pure muscle, trained to a peak that no human would likely ever begin to _fathom_. His body, drawing and harnessing the energy of Earth's yellow sun, was now a living weapon. His abilities – even after knowing all his life that he was different – astounded him. He could lift well over 50 metric tons, and move at speeds well over Mach 3. He was borderline invulnerable; he had yet to find something that could actually hurt him, other than the green space-rocks he had once come across as a child in Smallville. His parents had destroyed them, and Kal did not know of any others...but he would have to be wary. His vision was practically telescopic, and he could see through solid objects – an "X-Ray" vision – as well as see in infrared, and on a microscopic scale. His eyes could also fire deadly heat-laser beams, with enough sheer destructive force to level a building at the very least. His hearing was almost deafeningly sharp, and extended into Ultra-High Frequency and Ultra-Low Frequency; it had taken practice and a _lot_ of concentration to master it, to force himself to focus on only one thing at a time. Even his very breath was a weapon; he could exhale with hurricane-force intensity, or freeze anything in the wake of his breath to absolute zero. And – perhaps most wondrous of all – he could _fly_.

As a child, Kal had always had to be careful...and now he would have to do so more than ever.

In his time in the knowledge chamber, Kal had absorbed all the knowledge of Krypton; his people's history, science, philosophy...and all the lessons they had learned, their values, what they felt was important in life, what they believed happened to them when they died.

It was the only memory he would have of his people.

In addition, Kal had taken in many forms of combat arts, not just those of Krypton; in its time, Krypton had been in contact with numerous other races...including the Shi'ar, before the Empire had attacked Krypton. Kal had also learned from the knowledge of Krypton's most honored philosophers, its most brilliant scientists and scholars, and its most decorated tacticians.

And he had learned of the planet he now lived upon. Through the revolutionary quantum computer – designed by his father, Jor-El – he had absorbed much of the culture, philosophy, and religion of the world. He learned all of its history, and learned of its people, the ones he would walk among, though he was not one of them.

And, perhaps most importantly of all, he had heard his father's voice, in a message Jor-El had left for him. He would never forget it:

_"Hello, my son. I am Jor-El, of the planet Krypton...and I am your father. By the time you hear this, I will be long dead; Krypton, our world, is undergoing a chain-reaction in its core – our world is doomed. To save you from our fate, your mother – Lara – and I have sent you to Earth. There, you will have power that no human can match, as your Kryptonian body draws strength from Earth's yellow sun. I have designed this structure, this Fortress of Solitude, to teach you of your heritage, your abilities...and my hopes for you, Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton."_

_ "They can be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. And for this reason above all others, their capacity for good, I have sent them a light...for I have sent them you, my only son."_

_ "Live among them, Kal-El, and find where your great power is most needed. You must never directly interfere in their natural development; that is forbidden by our highest laws. Instead, lead by example, my son; show them that there is a better way, through your actions."_

_ "There may be those on Earth who will fear and hate you for what you can do, my son. Do not be disheartened, for no matter what happens...your mother and I love you. Be happy, my beloved son. Farewell."_

'_Father...I will always remember._' Kal thought to himself. As he walked towards the main computer, he said aloud, "Computer, begin planet-wide genotypic scan of human population; limit results to genotype coded as 'X-Gene.' Also, pull all records with the keyword 'superhuman'."

In his time here, the computer had once pointed something out to him; there was a number of people with what the computer had termed the "X-Gene"; it was a genetic mutation that gave its bearers unique abilities, and each was different. This had fascinated him.

"_Scans complete._" the Fortress reported. "_Feeding results to main screen._"

The main screen instantly lit up with a world-map, with blotches of red across it; these were X-Gene-positive humans, or "mutants."

Kal's eyes widened in surprise; there were so many...

Then, the computer fed numerous newspaper articles to the main screen. Several of them caught his eye, such as "_Avengers, Assembled?_", "_Spider-Menace of New York,_" and, "_Fantastic Four: Heroes of Science_".

People with super-human abilities using them for good.

"I know what my purpose is." Kal-El said, smiling...though it felt like part of him had known all along. Kal turned, and headed for his personal chamber.

He would be leaving, soon.

_Xavier Institute_

In the Cerebro chamber, Charles Xavier, now in his early fifties, mostly unchanged with time, though with a few more lines across his patient face, was scanning the planet with Cerebro.

His attempt had been a success; he had located a new potential student, a young mutant capable of teleportation, currently living in Germany. He planned to head to Germany with Ororo to talk to this young man and his family. He was now looking across the globe, trying to find others like him...

Suddenly, Charles felt it; a massive surge racing through his mind. He instantly remembered that day, 19 years ago; the mutant he hadn't been able to track.

He was _back_.

Focusing every ounce of mental energy, Charles fought the surge, trying to locate him.

'_He's in the Northern Hemisphere...Greenland...no, further north...the North Pole!_'

Finally, Charles activated the failsafe, shutting down Cerebro, opening the door. Instantly, Ororo – now in her late thirties, and still stunning – ran to his side. "Charles, what happened?!" she cried.

"Get Logan, and tell him to meet us all in my office." Charles gasped. "Our unknown is back."

"_Scott, Jean, report to my office immediately._"

The instant he'd gotten the Professor's telepathic call, 16-year-old Scott Summers, codename "Cyclops," hurried towards his mentor's office. Scott was a fairly tall, well-built young man, with short, dark brown hair, a light complexion, and blue eyes...at least, they were blue the last time he checked; his mutation caused deadly, concussive force-beams to shoot from his eyes, and due to a brain injury from an accident as a child – the accident where he'd lost his parents and baby brother – he had no control over them whatsoever, forcing him to constantly wear red, ruby-quartz shades, to hold back his blasts. Scott was wearing his usual light brown khaki pants and blue-grey sweater. He'd been the Professor's first recruit; Professor Xavier had given him the shades to control his powers...and had given him a life.

Upon reaching the office, Scott smiled as he saw his fellow classmate and best friend Jean Grey, who smiled back. Jean was a tall, slender young woman of 16, with long, ruby-red hair, emerald eyes, and a light complexion, clad in her usual khaki pants and light pink-violet long-sleeved shirt. She, too, was a mutant; a telekinetic, as well as a telepath.

"Hey." Jean greeted. "What do you suppose the Professor wants?"

"Beats me." Scott replied. "But from his message, it sounded urgent, so we'd better head in." Jean nodded in agreement, and they both walked in.

In the Professor's office, Scott felt ill at ease as he saw the concerned expressions on the Professor's and Miss Munroe's faces. What worried him even more was the fact that Mr. Logan, A.K.A. "Wolverine" was there. Logan was a fairly tall, well-built man, seemingly in his forties, with short, black hair, dark eyes, and a light complexion, wearing blue jeans, and a dark navy t-shirt. His mutant ability gave him heightened senses, as well as incredible healing powers, but he also had an adamantium-reinforced skeleton, with retractable razor-sharp claws. If _Logan_ was worried about this, it _had_ to be serious.

"Professor?" Scott asked. "What's going on?"

The Professor took a deep breath. "Scott, Jean," he began, "it's time to tell you something I thought I might never worry about again. About 19 years ago, when I was first testing Cerebro...I found something."

Scott did _not_ like the sound of that.

"It was a mutant...at least, I _think_ it was, and it was more powerful than I ever thought a mutant could _be_. I was never able to locate it, it was so powerful; I was only able to keep Cerebro going for a few seconds...the level of power I felt..."

"...knocked Chuck out for three hours, so I've heard." Logan finished. At that, both Scott and Jean were speechless; Professor Xavier was the most powerful telepath in the world.

If something had knocked _him_ out...

"Professor," Jean asked, "what does that have to do with anything?"

"A few minutes ago, I found that mutant again; it was _stronger_, this time...so much that I was able to locate it." the Professor said. "This mutant is in the North Pole."

"The _North Pole_?" Scott exclaimed.

"What's it doing _there_?" Jean cried.

"I don't know," the Professor said, "but we cannot ignore a mutant as powerful as this. I want all of us to head out there and find out about this mutant. Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Wolverine, suit up and head to the Blackbird. We leave for the North Pole as soon as possible." At once, Scott nodded, and headed for the locker room, to suit up, as Jean did the same, heading for her locker room.

The Professor was right; they had to get to the North Pole A.S.A.P.

In the Fortress of Solitude, Kal-El was at his workbench, his uniform belt in his hand, as he tinkered with the buckle. He had just finished installing the high-tech link to the Fortress in the buckle, and was just welding it into place with an electron-micro-welder. His task complete, he put the tool away, and slid the buckle right out of the belt, and tapped a button on its inside; instantly, the buckle expanded into a palm-top computer. "Fortress: run a Level-Five Diagnostic on the link to the mainframe." he instructed.

"_Running diagnostic...done. Link to mainframe at 100% efficiency._"

"Very good." Kal said. "And the computer's other features?"

"_Unit's scan function is operational at 100% efficiency. Receiving functions are at optimal level. Unit's wireless communication function is at optimal level, with optional masking function at 100%. Unit's casing will endure up to 5.2 kiloton impacts._"

"Excellent." Kal-El said, shutting off the computer, and sliding it into the belt, before clipping it around his waist. With a link to the Fortress mainframe, he'd be able to keep one ear to any threats or disasters that his hearing might miss. He started to head to his room, to gather up his personal belongings; it was time to leave...

"_Alert: aircraft approaching. Craft is not of commercial configuration._"

Instantly, Kal darted to the main screen. "Identify."

Instantly, the screen showed the frame of the craft: a sleek, flat frame, with two pairs of wings, flying under radar; fortunately, the Fortress had better detection systems than simple radar. '_A Blackbird..._' Kal thought, '_...but those were never put into production...so they can't be the military._' That was a relief. "Life-signs?"

"_Four life-forms on-board. All are X-Gene positive._"

Kal sighed. So, his presence here had finally been noticed.

"_Initiate defense system?_"

"Negative." Kal said."No sense in offending our guests, since they're already here. Activate the landing bay lights." Instantly, the Fortress computer responded, as Kal-El went to greet his visitors.

As the Blackbird soared over the Arctic Ocean, the water below becoming increasingly dotted with icebergs, Charles felt concerned. Who was this mutant, and how had he eluded Cerebro for 19 years?

Charles reasoned that Cerebro had not detected him because Cerebro was designed to detect _new_ mutant signatures most readily, while older ones were harder to trace. Most X-Genes became active at puberty, but this mutant had clearly been an exception, and on subsequent scans, his signature was too old for Cerebro to pick up right away; it would have been like looking for a drop of water in an ocean.

But now, his powers had grown, to the point where Cerebro would have difficulty _not_ seeing him...and that worried Charles to no end.

He looked about him, seeing Scott piloting the Blackbird, clad in his black body-suit with a yellow 'X' across his chest, his glasses exchanged for a visor. Next to him sat Jean, in a similar body-suit, but with a long, green triangle extending down through the mid-section. On Charles' left sat Ororo, in her dark blue uniform and cape. On his right sat Logan, clad in his orange and brown uniform, with a mask over his face, which resembled the ears of a wild animal.

He hoped they were all up to this challenge.

Suddenly, Jean cried out, "Look!"

Charles looked to where Jean was pointing, as did the others...and _froze_. There, in the glacial ice, was a huge, crystalline structure, larger than the Institute.

"Whoa..." Scott murmured, "...what _is_ that?"

"Offhand," Logan said, "I'd say it's where our boy's been hidin' out."

As they drew closer, lights became illuminated on a long, icy strip near this structure, this..._Fortress_; landing lights. Whoever it was that lived in there, they had been expecting them. Slowly, Scott set the Blackbird down, and they all got out.

As Charles and the others looked around, Logan sniffed the air...and _growled_. "Chuck, I don't like this." he muttered. "This place don't smell right."

"What do you mean?" Ororo inquired.

"It doesn't smell _human_." Logan said. "_You_ smell human, 'Ro. Chuck and the kids smell human. This place _doesn't_."

"What's it smell like?" Scott asked.

"I don't know, Shades." Logan growled. "And that bothers the _hell_ out of me." Suddenly, he growled, and popped out his claws, turning. The others followed his gaze...

...in time to see a massive door open, as a single figure stepped out. He was a young man of 19, tall and powerfully built, with black hair, blue eyes, and light skin, wearing what looked like a blue body-suit with red boots, red tight shorts, a yellow belt, and a red cape, with a stylized 'S' on the suit's chest.

Logan growled. "Chuck...this place...it smells like _him_."

"Professor," Jean whispered, "I...I can't hear his thoughts; it's like he's not even _there_."

"Neither can I." Charles admitted; he was _really_ worried, now. Even if someone blocked his telepathic probing, it was still possible to sense a presence...but all he got from this young man was telepathic white-noise.

The figure slowly walked towards them, looked at them...and smiled, putting them partially at ease. "If you're looking for Santa Claus, try a few hundred miles down the road."

Charles was surprised, both at the response and at his own automatic smile. "Well...hello." he greeted.

"Hello, yourself." the stranger responded pleasantly.

"We are mutants, like you." Charles continued. "We are from a school that helps mutants learn to control their powers, and we were wondering if you would like to join."

The stranger smiled kindly. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you've wasted your time. I'm not a mutant."

"Right." Logan said sarcastically. "Someone's in denial, here. I hate to break this to ya, bub, but humans don't exactly hang out at the North Pole for kicks."

"I never said I _was_ human; I just said I wasn't a mutant."

_That_ threw everyone for a loop. Jean was the first to recover. "What...who _are_ you?" she demanded.

The stranger's eyes narrowed in annoyance, his powerful-looking arms folding. "This is _my_ home." he said sternly. "_I_ should be asking that."

"Our apologies." Charles placated. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, Headmaster of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. These are Ororo Munroe and Logan," he gestured to Storm and Wolverine, "my instructors."

"Scott Summers." Scott volunteered.

"Jean Grey." Jean said. "We're sorry we intruded, but please...who are you?"

The stranger relaxed. "I am Kal-El," he said, and then he lightly smiled, "but my friends call me Clark Kent." He then gestured to the open door. "I guess you're all going to want more than just my name." he added. "Well, you'd better come inside; I'm expecting a blizzard, soon."

Ororo smiled. "I wouldn't worry about that," she said, "but I think we could all use some time out of this cold." With that, the stranger – Kal-El, or Clark – headed into his home, and Charles and the others followed.

Clark led his new guests into the main hall of the Fortress, where he relaxed between training sessions, passing by the myriad wonders of his home. "This is amazing..." the African-American lady – Ororo – murmured. "What is this place?"

"It's my sanctuary...my 'Fortress of Solitude'." Clark answered, as he led them into the main hall, where six hover-chairs were waiting for them, hovering above them. Effortlessly, Clark pushed off the floor, gliding into the air to rest in one of the chairs, as the other five floated down to them, bringing them up to his level...with astonished expressions.

"You can..._fly_?" the red-haired girl – Jean – asked.

"Among other things." Clark admitted.

"Well...Clark...I must say that I am intrigued." Professor Xavier said. "You say that you are not a mutant; well, what are you, if I may ask?"

'_Hoo, boy. Here it comes._' Clark thought. "I am...well...not from around here."

"We guessed." Logan said.

Clark held up his hands. "But I mean I'm not from around here...in the same sense that..._Halley's Comet_ 'isn't from around here'."

Jean looked confused. "But...Halley's Comet is from..._space_..."

"_Bingo_."

There was silence for a few moments. "Where...are you _from_?" Scott murmured.

Clark sighed; time to drop the bomb. "Krypton."

"Krypton?" the Professor asked.

"A planet in the Ku'Raon System, located in the Xerius Galaxy."

No-one talked for a full _minute_ after that statement. Then, Ororo spoke: "You're an..._alien_?" she said softly.

Clark slowly nodded.

Slowly, Jean smiled. "Oh, my _GOD_!" she exclaimed. "This changes _everything_! Guys, we've just been given an answer to one of the most important questions of our time! _We're not alone!_"

Clark looked among his guests; all held similar smiles, and even the gruff Logan was half-smiling. "Wow, you're all taking this well." he said.

"Please, tell us more." Ororo said kindly. "Where exactly is Krypton?"

Clark almost flinched; he'd been hoping they wouldn't ask that. "Fortress," he instructed, "show star map, with relative distance from Earth to Krypton's last known location."

Instantly, a holographic map appeared before them, showing numerous spiral galaxies, with one circled in green – "That's Earth." Clark said – and one circled in red.

Jean looked at the other galaxy – Xerius. "That's where Krypton is?"

Clark closed his eyes. "That's where Krypton _was_."

Everyone looked up. "'Was'?" Scott repeated.

"Almost thirty years ago...Krypton was destroyed." Clark said. "My parents sent me here, in my father's prototype Trans-Warp ship, to escape Krypton's destruction." He lowered his head. "I am Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara...and I am the Last Son of Krypton." Even now, thinking of all that he had lost saddened him, the fact that he was so alone.

Instant sobriety. "Oh, my God...I'm so _sorry_." Jean murmured.

"Dear Lord..." Xavier said softly, "...almost thirty years ago...I felt something...like millions of screams...and then silence..."

"The screams of every Kryptonian as their planet blew up...and then the planet blowing up." Clark said.

No-one said anything for a few moments. "So...how exactly did you guys find me?" Clark asked.

"Cerebro. It enhances my telepathic abilities, enabling me to home in on those with the X-Gene...or those with DNA fundamentally different from a normal human's." the Professor said.

Clark smiled. "Well, Kryptonian DNA would qualify."

"True, but I actually found it difficult to find you; the only reason we're here is because you seem to have dramatically increased in power." the Professor replied.

"I guess my training worked."

"So, what can you do?" Scott asked.

"Basically, my body absorbs energy from Earth's yellow sun." Clark said. "It gives me a whole host of abilities."

"Such as?" Ororo asked.

"Brace yourselves." Clark warned, as he rattled off all the powers that he had discovered so far.

When he was done, the looks of astonishment was almost _comical_ on everyone's faces, if things hadn't been so serious; even Xavier looked flabbergasted. Then, Jean giggled. "Sorry, Slim." she said to Scott. "Looks like you don't have the eye-beam monopoly, anymore."

"Well, it's a free country." Scott replied, chuckling.

"So, Clark...what exactly do you plan to do with your powers?" Xavier asked.

"Help." Clark replied. "I plan to use my abilities for the good of humankind."

Ororo smiled. "That's a _very_ good idea, Clark."

"One problem." Logan said. "If Flyboy here starts zippin' all over the place with his Good-Samaritan-routine, it's gonna get mighty hard to keep a lid on mutants' existence."

"As much as I admire your compassion, Clark, Logan is, unfortunately, correct." Xavier said. "For the longest time, the existence of mutants has been kept secret. People simply are not ready to accept that there are those being born among them with abilities that they do not have; we have kept our existence secret."

"For fear of reprisals." Clark observed.

"Yes." Xavier agreed. "Now, I am sure that someone practically invulnerable to weapons-fire, such as yourself, would have nothing to fear, but the rest of us, for the most part, are quite vulnerable. If you use your powers blatantly, even for a reason as noble and selfless as yours, it will draw attention."

Clark hated to admit it, but the Professor was right; he wanted to help people, but if he started using his powers so openly, people were _bound_ to start asking questions. "I guess I'll try to stay under the radar when I help people."

Xavier nodded. "I think that is a good idea." he agreed. Smiling, he added, "But the far north isn't much of a home, even with technology as amazing as that of your Fortress. Would you like to join the Institute?"

Clark smiled. "You want me around, even though I'm something of a risk to your secret?"

"Ours is the cause of peace, my Kryptonian friend." Xavier replied. "In time, mutants _will_ be revealed to the public eye...and when that time comes, mutants will need shining examples, both to aspire to, and for the public to see that we are not a threat to them."

Ororo smiled warmly. "We would certainly _love_ to have you with us, Clark."

Clark grinned, and floated out of his chair, hovering in front of Xavier, holding out his hand. "In that case, sign me up!" Xavier smiled warmly, and shook it.

In less than an hour, Xavier and the others had gathered outside the Blackbird, as Clark powered down the Fortress' nonessential functions, and locked the door behind him. With the Fortress now silent, Clark walked towards his new friends, a duffel bag with his few personal possessions over his shoulder. "So, Clark," Scott asked, "anywhere you need to stop by before we head to the Institute?"

"Yeah, there is." Clark admitted. "I'd like to drop by my house, and check on Ma."

"Your house?" Ororo asked.

"Smallville, Kansas." Clark said. "I'd better call, first, to make sure she's alone; it'd be hard to explain all of us to her bridge tournament." He smiled sheepishly. "Just one minute." He removed his buckle, switched it on, and activated the call-masking, so no satellites could pick it up. The phone rang a few times...

"Hello? Kent residence, Martha speaking."

His Ma's voice sounded older, but Clark attributed that to four years of living without her husband and son. "Hi...Ma..."

There was silence.

"Ma..?"

"_Oh, God! Oh, God!_"

"Please...don't cry, Ma..."

"Clark...oh, Clark, is it really you?!"

"It's me, Ma." Clark whispered. "I'm okay."

"Come home." his mother ordered, with fierce happiness. "Come home, _right now_."

Clark laughed. "I will, Ma...but...can I bring a few friends?"

"A few...oh, of _course_, Clark! Bring the whole U.S. _Senate_, for all I care! _Just come home!_"

"I'm coming, Ma." Clark promised. "I'll be there, soon. Bye." Then, he hung up, and put the buckle back on his belt.

"So, Smallville it is, then." Scott said.

Clark nodded. "So...think you can keep up?" he asked, grinning.

Logan chuckled. "Hate to break it to ya, Flyboy, but the Blackbird's the fastest thing in the air."

Clark laughed. "We'll see." he replied. "Well, Ma said to get home _now_, so there's no time to waste!" With that, Xavier and the others headed into the Blackbird, and took off. Clark waited until they were in the air, then took a deep breath, and began to run.

Clark accelerated down the strip of ice, running at a speed of Mach One before he leapt off, flying through the air, his hands in front of him, his body straight, like a torpedo. He accelerated to Mach Two...then Three...and then well above _Four_.

In less than a second, he had shot past the Blackbird, flying so fast that the air seemed to be collecting in front of him, forming a wake behind him as he flew, as a sonic boom echoed behind him.

He reached Smallville in a matter of minutes, hovering in the sky above the Kent farm...waiting for the Blackbird to catch up. After about ten minutes, the Blackbird had caught up to him. Clark gracefully descended to the ground, landing without so much as a sound, the Blackbird landing a few feet away. Smiling, Clark headed towards his house...to see his mom.

After arriving in Smallville, Charles and the others had respectfully stayed out of the way of the tearful reunion of mother and son. Mrs. Kent had cried as Clark held her, sweetly reassuring her that he was fine, letting her cry. The two had talked for a full hour before Clark had excused himself to step outside for a while. And now, Charles and Ororo were having a cup of tea with Mrs. Kent, with Logan in the background, leaning against the kitchen wall, sipping a beer. Scott and Jean were outside.

Martha Kent was in her late fifties, her face now wrinkled, with mid-length grey hair tied in a bun, in old blue jeans and a grey sweater, with glasses framing her nose. She smiled as she poured Charles a cup of tea. "Quite a vehicle you have, there." she commented kindly. "It got here so fast, and I never even heard it!"

Charles smiled. "I'm afraid it isn't much compared to Clark's speed, Mrs. Kent." he replied. "Clark has told us about...his origins."

Martha smiled. "Please, call me Martha." she said. "And yes, Clark has had a difficult time before, dealing with the fact that he's...not human." She looked to Charles. "And Clark told me about all of you! In my wildest dreams, I would have never imagined that everyday people could have such amazing abilities! What a fascinating time we live in!"

Charles smiled. "Call me Charles." he replied. "And I am glad that you're reacting so well to our existence, Martha." His expression saddened. "I only hope that, when mutants are revealed to the world, others react as you do."

Martha nodded. "I know; Clark told me about that. The sad thing is, you could be right." she said. Then, she smiled proudly. "And what Clark plans to do doesn't surprise me one bit! Leave it to Clark to compromise his dreams to help others!" Then, she looked to Logan. "You know, Mr. Logan, there _is_ enough tea for you."

"Nah; the stuff gives me gas." Logan said. "Thanks for the beer, though."

"Oh, don't mention it; Jonathan always kept some stored in his old cooler; you could leave opened wine down there for years, and it'd still keep its flavor. Help yourself!" Then, Martha's expression saddened. "Jonathan...if he were here, he'd've moved hell itself to find out how to help Clark." She suppressed a sniffle. "I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"Oh, don't worry." Ororo assured her. "It's hard to lose the ones we love."

Martha nodded. "I cried for days when Clark left." she murmured. "But then, a month or so later, I got a package, with no return address." She reached over to the counter, and took down a little glass sphere...with two holographic planets floating in it; one was Earth, and the other looked very much like Earth – _Krypton_.

"When I got this...I _knew_ my boy was okay." Martha said. She smiled at Charles. "You have the most special young man on the planet with you, now, Charles." she said. She laughed. "You be good to my boy, or, mutant powers or not, I'll drive my truck up there and tan your hide with a frying pan!" she joked.

Charles laughed, as did Ororo. "You have nothing to fear, Martha." he assured her. "Clark is likely the most important thing that has happened to us...to this _world_. We will help him, any way we can."

On a hill overlooking the Kent farm, a single tombstone rested. Clark stood before the grave, silently reading the inscription.

"_Jonathan Kent: Husband, Father, Friend._"

"Hi, Pa." Clark whispered, his red cape lightly flowing in the breeze. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you in so long. I've been busy." He smiled. "I made some new friends today, Pa. I think you'd really like them." He paused. "Pa...you were _right_. You always said that I was here to do good in this world. You were right."

His eyes began to sting. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, Pa." he whispered. "I'll save the world for you, I _promise_."

Just then, he heard someone, and he turned to see Jean walking up to him. "Hey." she greeted. "Who were you talking to?"

Clark stepped aside, showing her his Pa's grave.

"_Oh_...I'm so sorry." Jean said quickly. "I'll just go..."

"That's okay." Clark said. "We're done."

Jean was silent for a few seconds. "It's...a lot to take in." she finally said.

Clark chuckled. "Imagine how _I_ felt." he replied. "I was about 8 or 9 when I found out; I was going to jump into Dad's arms...and ended up jumping over the whole _house_."

Jean giggled. "You _didn't_!"

"Oh, I _did_." Clark said. "When I got back, Pa said – I remember his exact words – '_Martha, I think it's time to show the boy the package that the stork used _'. They showed me the ship...and I knew."

Jean was silent. "Well...you don't have to face things alone." she said. "Maybe you are the 'Last Son', but you're not alone. The Professor, Scott, Storm, Wolverine, and I...we all _get_ what it is to be different."

Clark smiled. "Thanks." he said.

Jean smiled. "I can tell you're both going to be great friends. You're so alike, it's _scary_; I'm kinda glad I can't read your mind – I don't think I could handle _two_ guys pure-minded enough to make a telepath gag."

Clark chuckled. "Thanks...I _think_."

Jean smiled. "So...that's an interesting suit you have there." she appraised. "But I don't think I could wear blue and red...and _definitely_ not a cape and an 'S'."

Clark gave her a mock-glare. "Hey, this is based on the uniform of the Kryptonian Defense Force." he said. "And that's the crest of the House of El you're slammin', missy."

Jean laughed. "Sorry, sorry. It looks nice; very inspirational."

"I hope Scott isn't jealous of you talking to me."

Jean blinked. "Why would he be?"

"Aren't you two..?"

"What? _No_!" Jean laughed. "Scott's my _best_ friend, that's all. I'm seeing someone else."

"Oh." Clark said. "I just thought..."

"Common mistake." Jean assured him. "Since Scott and I hang out so much, everyone automatically assume we're together."

"Hey." Scott greeted, as he walked up to them. "The Professor said to let you two know that we're just about ready to leave."

Clark nodded. "You both go on ahead; I'll be right there." Nodding, Scott and Jean went on ahead. Clark turned back to his father's grave. "I'll be back soon, Pa; I promise." he whispered. "Bye." Then, he began to walk away, following his new friends.

When Clark had caught up to Scott and Jean, everyone had gathered outside the Blackbird, the Professor, Storm, and Wolverine having already gotten on board, with his Mom waving good-bye. Clark walked to his Ma's side, who smiled at him. "Your father would be so proud," she whispered, tears in her eyes, "just like _I_ am." She hugged him. "Don't be a stranger, honey." she added. "You can come home any time you like, and your friends are welcome, too."

Clark smiled. "Thanks, Ma." he replied, carefully returning her hug. "I love you."

"Oh, I love you, too, honey." his Mom replied. "You just visit when you can; Lord knows you'll be busy helping people."

"Bye, Mrs. Kent!" Scott called, as he got on board.

"It was nice meeting you!" Jean added, as she followed Scott.

"It was nice meeting you all, too!" Martha called. "Take care!"

With that, the hatch closed, and the Blackbird took off into the air. Clark took one last look at his childhood home, waved goodbye to his Ma, and then took off into the air, closely following the Blackbird.

After about a half an hour, Clark saw the Blackbird start to descend, over New York state. Clark followed it, down over a stately mansion, built on a cliff over the sea. The Blackbird glided around to a secret hangar, built into the cliff.

This was the Xavier Institute.

Clark smiled as he touched down. He had a feeling that he would like it here.


	4. New to the Neighbourhood

CHAPTER THREE: NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD

_Bayville, Westchester, New York, September 10, 2006_

In the Westchester town of Bayville, just outside New York City, as night fell over Bayville University, a young man of 19 began walking out of one of the buildings on campus, his Journalism lecture finished for the night. He was tall, and lean, with short, black hair, parted in the middle, blue eyes framed by glasses, and light skin, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt under a grey vest, with light brown khaki pants, his knapsack over his shoulder, a large, black watch on his wrist. The young man managed to nervously get on the bus, as it headed out of the campus, heading to the outskirts of town.

The bus dropped the young man at a street-corner, where he began nervously walking down the road, towards the Xavier Institute. As he reached the gates of the Institute, he cautiously looked around, making sure the coast was clear...

...and then effortlessly hopped right _over_ the gates, landing perfectly on the other side.

Clark smiled as he walked across the grounds, dropping the awkwardness in his walk, and twisting his watch, shutting off the image-inducer that hid his true frame, revealing his powerful build. He then casually removed his glasses, tucking them away, before ruffling his hair, returning his hair to normal, losing the parting.

Professor Xavier's image-inducer was a complete success; no-one at the University had even _suspected_ that anything lay beneath the clumsy, bumbling Clark Kent that he showed to them.

As he walked through the main doors, into the impressive main hall of the mansion, he was greeted by Logan, who was just heading out the door, in his navy t-shirt, blue jeans, brown leather jacket, and cowboy hat. "Hey, Flyboy," he said, "Chuck wants to see ya."

"Anything wrong?" Clark asked.

"Beats me."

"You going anywhere?"

"Just gonna take a little joy-ride." Logan answered, half-smiling. "Not all of us can move at Mach 5, ya know. Later." Then, he headed out, as Clark continued to the Professor's office.

Professor Xavier was sitting in his desk as Clark came in. "Ah, Clark," he greeted, "how was class?"

"Fine." Clark said. "The inducer works; everyone who saw me thought I was just some clumsy country boy from Kansas."

"Excellent." the Professor said, smiling. "That inducer will be essential for our new student."

"He's coming tomorrow?"

"_Tonight_." Xavier corrected. "We – Scott, Jean, and I – plan to meet him in an hour."

"And I guess I'll sit this one out." Clark said.

"We plan to explain your...situation to him if he accepts enrollment." Xavier replied. "Also, there is another matter we must discuss."

"What?" Clark inquired.

The Professor simply took out a newspaper, and unfolded it, holding it up for him to see. The headline was clear: "_Flying Man Prevents Nuclear Disaster._"

Clark inwardly groaned. He'd hoped that this little incident he'd taken care of in South Korea would go mostly unnoticed. But, judging from the blurry photograph an amateur had taken, that clearly wasn't the case.

"Clark," the Professor said, "what would you call this?"

Clark tried his most sheepish grin. "Uh...damn good journalism?"

Xavier sighed. "Clark..."

Clark sighed. "Okay, okay," he said, "I admit it; I was seen. But I had no choice! That nuclear reactor was seconds from meltdown, with enough uranium fuel to make Chernobyl look like a _firecracker_! I tried to use my gale-breath to safely clear the area of civilians, but I didn't have _time_ to be thorough! Any later and it would've _blown_!"

Xavier sighed, relenting. "You're right, Clark. It's just that, in the few months you've been here, you've been partially seen three times. And, I admit, all of those times were incidents in which you had no choice, but that doesn't make it easier."

Clark relaxed. "I know. I'm sorry." he said. "If there was any other way, I would have taken it."

"I know." Xavier said, smiling. His smile growing, he pointed to a paragraph in the article.

Clark took a closer look...and almost did a double-take. "'_Superman_'??" he exclaimed. "They're calling me _Superman_??"

"Apparently, in an earlier partial-photo, the photographer caught your uniform's crest." Xavier said. "They've been referring to you as 'Superman' for the past few weeks."

Clark groaned. "Terrific." he sighed. "And the sad thing is, I can't think of a _better_ name for myself."

"Well, I think it's a good name." Xavier said. "You, Clark, have the power to do anything – absolutely _anything_ – and you choose to do the _right_ thing. _That_, Clark, makes you a _Super_ man. I think the name suits you."

Clark smiled. He hadn't thought of that. "Well, names tend to stick." he agreed. "So, 'Superman' it is."

"Good." Xavier said. "Now, I trust you will _try_ to avoid being seen in your future endeavors?"

"You got it." Clark promised.

"Good." Charles said. "That will be all." At that, Clark got up, and left the office.

As he left, Clark saw Scott and Jean heading towards the office. "Hey, 'Superman,'" Scott chuckled, "fix any reactors lately?"

Clark laughed. "Does _everyone_ know about that?"

"It's in all the newspapers." Jean said, smiling. "Everyone is talking about you!"

"But _how_ could you have actually _stood_ in the reactor core?" Scott asked. "That _has_ to be radiation central!"

"I guess my Kryptonian physiology absorbs radiation the same way it absorbs solar power." Clark reasoned. "There wasn't any choice; the controls in the control room were damaged beyond repair, so I had to fly into the core and insert the control rods _manually_. After that, I gave the place a once-over coat of graphite from the nearby mine." He sighed. "I just wish I'd have made _sure_ the place was evacuated; _someone_ photographed me..._again_."

"Ouch." Scott said.

"I know." Clark agreed. "But, how come you guys are back so early? Wasn't there a football game you were going to?"

Scott sighed. "There was an...incident." he admitted. "During the game, one student – Todd Tolansky – decided to make a few extra bucks by picking a few pockets, and...Duncan and his pals saw him."

Clark nodded; Duncan Matthews, Jean's boyfriend and the current Big Man on Campus at Bayville High, despite only being a sophomore, like Scott and Jean. "Scott's glasses got knocked off." Jean finished. "Duncan just has a concussion; he'll be fine."

"Yeah." Scott said, nervously scratching his head. "I just wish I could control these force-blasts _without_ needing my shades. I'm packing a bazooka behind each eyeball, here!"

"I know what you mean." Clark replied. "I was about 13 when my eye-beams first became active; I nearly fried our entire field before I figured out how to stop them. I feel your pain." He was about to continue...when his hearing picked up something. He froze, focusing on it...

An alarm; specifically, a fire-alarm at the hydroelectric dam at Alkali Lake. There was a short-out at the main control console; it had sparked an electrical fire...and worse, it was causing an overload. If it wasn't shut down soon, the whole dam could explode and flood the nearby town.

Scott and Jean noticed his expression. "Trouble?" Jean asked.

Instantly, Clark bolted off, dashing down the hallway, changing as he went; he tossed off his sneakers, pants, sweater, and shirt, revealing his uniform underneath it all – he'd figured that this was quicker than a duffel bag. Reaching into his knapsack and putting on his boots, he tossed the backpack aside, and ran at full speed, his change completed in all of three seconds. In a blue-and-crimson blur, Clark – now "Superman" – bolted towards an open window and leapt out, flying towards Alkali Lake at top speeds, a sonic boom echoing in his wake.

As their friend flew off – _literally_ – Scott and Jean could only watch. Jean shook her head in amazement. "Well, _that's_ going to be hard to explain to this new guy when he gets here."

Scott nodded. "I hope he's not afraid of aliens." he added. "What was his name, again?"

"Kurt Wagner." Miss Munroe said, as she walked up to them, smiling. "He's a teleporter, and his mutation is a bit more...evident than most." Chuckling, she added, "Was that Clark I heard, flying off?"

Scott grinned. "You know him; out doing his hero thing."

Ororo smiled. "Well, he's not the only one who has to get moving; we have to go greet our new arrival." she said. Nodding, Scott and Jean followed Ororo, to meet up with Professor Xavier before they headed off to pick up their new potential student.

In a matter of minutes, Superman – as he had started to think of himself – was over Alkali Lake, high enough to let the sonic boom pass mostly unnoticed. With his X-Ray vision – his eyes glowing electric blue as he used it – he looked within the power plant, automatically focusing on the fire...and the workers it had trapped.

Instantly, he descended, landing on the roof, next to a skylight. Opening it, he peered in, aimed, took a deep breath, and _blew_; his gale-force breath, with a touch of his freezing breath, easily put the fire out. The workers, though confused, took advantage of his effort; they raced out the doors as fast as they could.

The area cleared, Superman leapt down onto the metal-grated walkway, staying at the top level, and ran towards the control room. He was almost there...

"_Please! Somebody help me!! I don't wanna die!!_"

Superman froze at the sound of that helpless voice, looking around...and spying a hysterical engineer, clinging to a section of grating that was giving way...threatening to drop him into the whirring turbines below.

Taking aim, Superman looked at the part of the railing that was giving way; his eyes glowed red as he fired a narrow, surgically-precise heat beam at the railing, welding it solid, and stabilizing the walkway. At once, the engineer ran across the grating, and out the door. Superman took a few seconds to look around with his X-Ray vision, listening for heart-beats, making _sure_ the plant was completely evacuated, before he continued on.

In seconds, Superman was at the door; effortlessly, he ripped the steel door off its hinges, as if it were made of paper...and found the doorway blocked by debris. His eyes blazed red as he fired a _stronger_ heat beam, blasting the debris away, clearing his path. He darted into the control room, found the main console, and began inputting the commands to shut down the plant.

The console wasn't responding. It was dead.

With his X-Ray vision, Superman scanned the console...and found the problem: one of the circuits had been melted, from too much current, preventing power from flowing to the console. Quickly, Superman broke off a tiny piece of metal grating, and rolled it with his hands until it was wire-thin. Placing it in the gap in the circuit, he fired a micro-scalpel-sized heat beam, welding it into place.

Like magic, the console lit up, and Superman resumed entering the commands, and then pressed "Enter."

The whirring turbines instantly stopped, ending energy production; there was enough built up for technicians to come and properly repair the plant without the town losing power for even a _second_. His task complete, Superman darted out of the control room, and flew back out through the skylight.

In the air once more, Superman pondered the cause of that overload. '_Power plants like that have fail-safe measures to prevent those kinds of current surges._' he thought. '_That accident shouldn't have happened...or **was** it an accident?_'

With his vision, he scanned the surrounding area; there was a residual electromagnetic field near the power plant...which could have caused the surge. Superman began to follow this residual field, following it to a hill overlooking the plant, where it stopped...

Superman _froze_, as he thought he saw someone standing on the hill...but then the person – if they _had_ been standing there – was gone.

With nothing more to do here, Superman turned, and began to fly back towards the Institute, going a bit slower, listening for any more threats or disasters. He figured that the new student must have reached the Institute, by now.

He wondered how things were going.

From his vantage point on the hill, hidden in the brush from that mighty youth's – that "Superman's" – prying eyes, the figure that Superman had seen there saw it all.

He stepped out, his dark red-and-black cape lightly billowing in the breeze, matching his dark red armor, and his thick, PSI-shielded helmet.

He'd heard of this "Superman," this individual who used his great power to _help_ humanity.

'_Another misguided idealist, just like poor Charles._' he silently lamented; his dear old friend was blinded by false hope, by his admittedly beautiful – if naive – dreams.

And clearly, this young man was, as well, for he sought to aid _Homo sapiens_, when their time on this world was ending.

Even so, the power of this Superman amazed him. He'd long studied the X-Gene; he _knew_ what it was capable of.

'_No mutant I know of has that kind of power._' he thought.

He smiled wryly to himself. If this individual – this Superman – could be persuaded to the cause of _Homo superior_...

"This is an interesting development, indeed." Erik Magnus Lensherr mused to himself...before he readjusted his own magnetic field to directly oppose that of the Earth, repelling himself into the air, before he adjusted it to an equilibrium, gliding away.

Kurt Johann Wagner was determined to prove himself.

Kurt, a young German-born man of 15, was a mutant...and a pretty obvious case at that. He was of average height, and of lean, acrobatic frame...and he was _blue_; blue fur covered his entire body, his mid-length hair a dark blue-black, his eyes a glowing yellow. He had pointed, elfin ears, and tridactyl hands, with three fingers, and three-toed feet, with a long, blue, prehensile tail extending from his tail-bone. He now wore a black bodysuit, with a red vest over it. The upside of his mutation was that he could teleport; he needed only to think of a place, look to it, and he was there, vanishing with a loud _bamf!_ and a cloud of brimstone.

He was thrilled with this Xavier Institute, the idea of being accepted for his true appearance by someone other than his parents, and he was determined to prove himself to his new peers...prompting him to try and repel this intruder.

"What are you, some kinda Smurf?!"

Kurt chuckled as he hung upside-down by his tail from the chandelier, as his opponent lay below. The intruder – Toad, as he called himself – was crouched on his hind legs, just like a frog, and could jump just as well as one. Toad was about his own age, a gangly youth with pale skin, short, messy sandy-blond hair, and green eyes with a kind of murky film over them. He wore a green bodysuit with cream-colored armor over it, slightly hunched on its back. Kurt had seen him spit slime, as well as use a long, prehensile tongue, which had little use other than catching flies.

"As you Americans vould say, '_neener, neener, neener_'!" Kurt taunted. Angered, Toad fired a slime-ball at Kurt.

_Bamf_!!

Kurt vanished and reappeared at the top of the main staircase, taking a theatrical bow as he landed gracefully. Incensed further, Toad hopped after him, firing slime-blasts, as Kurt hopped from wall-to-wall, teleporting as he needed to, laughing all the way.

Unfortunately, Kurt miscalculated his last leap before his next 'port, enabling Toad to tackle him, and causing Kurt to 'port them both.

Kurt's 'port deposited them in a vast, silvery metal chamber. '_Vat..? Zhis isn't vere I vanted to go!_' Kurt thought.

"What the...what kinda nuthouse are you X-Geeks running?!" Toad cried.

"_Danger Room activated. Level 10 program initiated. Safeties disengaged._"

'_Oh, Gott in Himmel, I don't like zhe sound of zat..._' Kurt thought. He turned...and just managed to leap out of the way of a robotic buzz-saw. As he landed, he instantly had to 'port away to evade the shots of numerous laser-cannons.

As he came out of the 'port, he saw Toad trapped by a wall closing in on him. "_Hang on!!_" Kurt shouted, as he 'ported in, grabbed Toad, and 'ported out.

"_Professor, shut down the Danger Room!!_"

Kurt was relieved immensely as he saw Scott and Jean race into this death-trap. Scott blasted the buzz-saw that was closing on Kurt with his deadly eye-blasts, while Jean gestured to a laser-drone, lifting it up and smashing it into several others. Soon, more traps became active...and then instantly stopped. "_Simulation deactivated. Thank you, and have a nice day._"

"Oh, man..." Toad whimpered, "...this ain't worth it. I'm outta here!" At that, he hopped towards the open exit, hopping away at top speed.

Scott sighed. "I wish we could've recruited him, too."

'_I blew it._' Kurt thought dejectedly. He looked away, and 'ported out.

Todd hopped away as fast as he could; that Xavier Institute was a _nightmare_. He was so busy hopping, he didn't watch where he was going...and nearly ran into _another_ of those X-Geeks; _this_ guy was done up in some red and blue suit, with a cape and everything...and he could _fly_ – he was just touching down when Todd hopped into his line of sight. "_AAAAAHHHHH!!!_" Todd screamed – his scream was kinda girlish, he admitted, but it was _reflex_. "S-Stay away from me!!"

"Just take it easy." the guy said calmly. "Are you the new student?"

"Not on your _life_!!" Todd declared. "I ain't goin' back to that nuthouse, yo!" With that, he just kept hopping until he was off the Institute grounds...

...and bumped into _another_ shmuck. '_I have got to watch where I hop._' Todd thought, as he looked up at... "Principal Darkholme?"

Principal Darkholme, a tall, elegantly built lady in her thirties, Todd guessed, stood over him, her chestnut hair tied in a conservative bun, her dark eyes narrowed, framed by glasses on her cream-colored nose, wearing her usual mid-length skirt and blazer jacket.

The Principal just smirked...and began to _change_: her clothes became a long, bone-white dress with a belt of bronze skulls around her waist; her mid-length hair went blood-red; her eyes went a creepy yellow; and her _skin_ went _blue_.

"W-W-What the heck are _you_?!" Todd cried.

The blue lady smiled slyly. "Someone like you, Mr. Tolansky." she hissed. "Someone with gifts that others don't understand, and that has little time for Xavier's idealism." She held out a hand to him. "Come with me, Toad, and I, and others, will show you the way to _power_."

'_Now **that's** more like it!_' Todd – now Toad – thought happily. He took her hand. "You got yourself a customer, Mrs...uh...Principal...um...what do I call you?"

The blue lady smiled. "Call me..._Mystique_."

As Superman calmly walked into the Institute's main hall, he looked around; it looked like that the hall had been a _battlefield_. Seeing Scott and Jean, in their uniforms, he suddenly wondered if that _had_ been the case. Smiling, he joked, "I step out for a few minutes, and the whole place goes nuts!"

His friends smiled. "Our first recruitment." Scott explained. "We've got one mutant AWOL, and one who's never going to set foot in here again."

"I found him." Jean said. "He's in the Blackbird's hangar bay."

"Maybe I should talk to him." Superman said. "One new guy to another."

"Sure." Scott agreed. Superman then headed towards the elevator to the underground levels, stopping by to pick up his street clothes at his room.

After changing into jeans and a black t-shirt, his uniform underneath, and his boots still on, Clark headed to the hangar bay, and found the blue-furred, elfin youth sitting on the Blackbird's bow – Kurt.

Hearing him approach, Kurt looked over his shoulder. "I'm sorry if I frighten you." he said sadly, with a slight German accent.

Clark smiled. "What's to be sorry about? Blue is definitely your color!"

Kurt's face brightened. "Really?" he asked.

"I never lie." Clark said, hopping up onto the bow and sitting down next to him. "So...I bet that was a _heck_ of a first day!"

"_Ja_." Kurt replied sadly. "I blew it, didn't I?"

"Nah. Everybody makes mistakes." Clark said.

"I bet _Superman_ vouldn't make zhis mistake." Kurt said. "I'll _never_ be like him."

Clark had to fight to keep the smile off his face. "Kurt, I can tell you that Superman makes mistakes as much as you or I."

"_Ja_, _right_." Kurt said with depressed sarcasm. "He catches airplanes! He defuses nuclear reactors! Und _zat's_ just zhe stuff ve _hear_ about!"

Clark chuckled. "Kurt, if Superman could help it, you wouldn't hear about _anything_ he does." he replied.

"_Vhy_?" Kurt asked. "Zhe dude's a _hero_!"

"Because if he goes around flaunting his powers, people are going to start asking questions, _plus_, showing off isn't what matters to him." Clark answered.

Kurt looked at Clark curiously. "How do you know?" he inquired. Clark just grinned, hopped down, walked over to the front landing gear, grasped it with one hand, and lifted it up. Kurt yelped in fright as the plane tipped, causing him to fall off, landing on his feet...and froze as he saw Clark lifting the plane so easily. As Clark put it down, he saw Kurt look at his red boots, and start to make the connection. Chuckling, Clark just partially lifted up his t-shirt, revealing the crest of the House of El, before lowering it again.

Kurt was silent for a full minute. "_No VAY!!!_" He finally exclaimed.

"_Way_." Clark said. "Sorry about the plane-lifting; I didn't think you'd believe me, otherwise."

"I don't _believe_ it!" Kurt exclaimed. "I am _talking_ to _Superman_!!"

"Like I said, Kurt: everyone makes mistakes – Lord knows I've made my share." Clark said. "And by the way, my friends call me Clark."

"So, Super..uh...Clark," Kurt began, "how did you get here?"

Laughing, Clark began to walk out of the hangar, with Kurt following. "Kurt, my friend, _that_ is a _long_ story..."

By the time the Professor, Ororo, and Logan had entered the main hall where Scott and Jean were, Clark and Kurt had just walked in. "...so you're zhe last survivor of zhe planet...vat vas it, again?"

"Krypton."

"Oh, right!" Kurt said. "Zat is so _cool_!"

"Hey, we're glad you stuck around!" Scott greeted.

"Well, Kurt, I trust your first day was an eventful one?" the Professor asked.

"_Jawohl!_" Kurt agreed.

"Good," the Professor said, "because we have one more surprise." With that, he rolled his wheelchair over, affixed a black watch to Kurt's wrist, and lightly tapped it.

Almost instantly, Kurt's fuzzy blue image vanished, and was replaced by a normal-looking 15-year-old Caucasian male, clad in a beige sweater and khaki pants, with dark blue eyes and blue-black hair.

"I'm..._normal_!!" Kurt exclaimed.

"With this image-inducer, you can attend high school without arousing suspicion." Xavier said.

Clark nodded. "I tested it myself, Kurt." he added, pointing to a similar watch he wore. "It lets me move around, so no-one figures out that clumsy, nervous Clark Kent is really..." He stopped, listening. "_Uh-oh_."

"'Uh-oh'?" Kurt repeated.

"France. Train bridge out. Train carrying toxic waste. Radio's down." Clark said.

Ororo softly chuckled. "Looks like another job for Superman."

In less than a second, Clark darted off at inhuman speed, shedding his street clothes, revealing his uniform. In less than _two_ seconds, he was airborne, flying off, a sonic boom echoing behind him.

As Superman flew off, Kurt looked like he was suddenly struck with a thought. "Hey...do you suppose zhere's a job in zhe hero business for...Zhe Incredible Nightcrawler?"

Scott laughed. "One thing at a time, Kurt. One thing at a time."


	5. It's Just a Phase

CHAPTER FOUR: IT'S JUST A PHASE

_October 5, 2006_

High above the Earth, at the very outermost edge of the atmosphere, Superman floated there, eyes closed, listening.

He now made regular patrols of the Earth, staying at this altitude, avoiding the prying eyes of satellites; it made listening for trouble easier, without the proximity to Bayville's background noise. Up here, he could listen to all the sounds of the people below. Listening to them, he was at peace...

Suddenly, his eyes opened, his hearing picking something up.

"_Mayday, Mayday! This is Continental Flight 257, over Northbrook, Illinois; we have starboard engine blow-out! We're going down!!_"

Instantly, Superman was off like a shot, soaring at top speed, effortlessly shrugging off the heat of his re-entry, as he flew to the distressed plane's aid, a sonic boom echoing in his wake.

In seconds, he was next to the plane, rapidly falling over the suburbs of Northbrook; night had fallen over the town. He saw the engine on the starboard wing, in flames, the fire threatening to spread across the wing. Superman quickly exhaled his freezing breath, putting out the fire, before flying underneath the wing, grasping it, and lifting it as he flew, leveling the plane's flight.

He almost smiled as he overheard the pilot and co-pilot. "_What the...we're leveling off?!_"

"_Looks like we've got a guardian angel._" the pilot said, before he picked up the radio. "_Attention, Northbrook Air Control, this is Flight 257. We have leveled off and are making an emergency landing at Runway Seven; have emergency crews ready, because we're coming in!_" At that, Superman felt the plane begin to turn, and he turned with it, following them all the way to the landing strip. Once the plane safely – though roughly – touched down, Superman flew off, his task complete.

As he flew away, Superman paused over the town of Northbrook; it looked like a pleasant little place, he noted, smiling. Suddenly, he stopped, as he heard the earth vibrating – an _earthquake_. '_Northbrook isn't on any fault lines..._' Superman thought...and then the tremors stopped. He was about to head to the Institute, to check with Professor Xavier on this matter...when he heard the terrified scream of a young girl.

Superman was about to track that cry, when he realized what it had sounded like; the pitch of the scream had made it sound...

...like the girl was..._falling through the floor_.

Tracking the cry to the girl's home, Superman was relieved to see that the girl's parents were with her, comforting her. He was about to fly off...when he saw one of the girl's blankets _stuck in the ceiling_.

Just then, his belt-communicator began to beep. Superman quickly took it out and opened it. "Hello?"

"_Superman, it's Professor Xavier. Cerebro has detected two mutant signatures in Northbrook, Illinois. One is Lance Alvers, a 16-year-old sophomore at Northbrook High; he has the ability of geological manipulation._"

"Earthquakes." Superman said. "That explains a few things. And the other?"

"_Katherine Pryde_, _a 15-year-old freshman at the same school; her power is that of corporeal intangibility._"

"Phases through solid matter."

"_Precisely. Jean and I are on our way out there in the Blackbird; can you meet us at a clearing outside the city limits?_"

"No problem." Superman replied. "I just need my street clothes."

"_We'll bring them with us._" the Professor said. "_We'll wait until the morning before we approach them._"

"Good idea." Superman agreed. "I'll see you soon." With that, he ended the call, put the communicator back, and flew off, resuming his patrol.

_Northbrook, Pryde Residence, a few minutes earlier_

In her bedroom, 15-year-old Katherine "Kitty" Pryde was sound asleep. Kitty was of average height for her age, and of slender build, making her seem very tiny. Her baby-blue eyes were closed in sleep, her fairly long chestnut hair tied in her usual ponytail, clad in her favorite pink pajama shirt and shorts.

As she slept, Kitty dreamt. In her dream, she was walking along the sidewalk, just outside of her house, still in her pajamas. Suddenly, she began to float, and was soon high above Northbrook. '_Wow...is this what it's like for Superman?_' she thought with a smile.

Suddenly, she began to fall, and she screamed in horror. '_Help! Someone, help!! Please, Superman, help me!!_' she cried with her thoughts, for no plea would leave her hysterical lips. Then, it was too late, as she crashed towards the ground...

...and passed right _through_ it.

Kitty woke up screaming, sitting on the cold floor...of the _living room_? '_How...how did I get here?!_' she thought, frightened.

"Kitten, what's wrong?" came her father's voice as her parents, Alexander and Rebecca Pryde, came down to see her. Alexander was a tall, well-built man in his early fifties, with light skin, brown eyes, and greying black hair, clad in his brown robe over his boxers. Rebecca, an elegantly built lady of average height, was in her late forties, with long, chestnut hair, light skin, and blue eyes, wearing her blue robe over her nightgown.

"Oh, sweetheart, you were having a nightmare." her mother soothed.

Kitty sniffled. "I...I dreamt I had fallen into the earth!!" she wailed, hugging her mother.

"There, there, honey...it was only a dream." her mother reassured her.

Her father happened to look up...and he went pale. "No, Rebecca..." he murmured, "...I don't think it was."

Both Kitty and her Mom looked up; Rebecca gasped, and Kitty's eyes went wide.

Her blanket was _stuck in the ceiling_.

Kitty looked to her parents. "Mom? Dad?" she whimpered. "What's going on?"

Morning soon came, and Superman met the Professor and Jean, in the Blackbird, at a clearing outside Northbrook's limits, far from prying eyes. After finding his street clothes – his black jeans, blue t-shirt and black jacket – and changing, Clark met Xavier and Jean in the Planning Room on the Blackbird. "So," Clark asked, "what's the plan?"

"We'll visit Katherine's family before we try to contact Katherine." the Professor said. "Once we've made contact with the Prydes, we'll try to locate Lance."

Jean smiled. "Well, Clark, you can consider this your first recruitment mission." she chuckled.

Clark smiled. "Time to earn my keep, I guess." At that, the three of them got in the modified minivan – the "X-Van" as it had been nicknamed – that they had brought with them, and drove into Northbrook.

At her home, Kitty had woken up, and gotten dressed, choosing her favorite pink sweater over a white t-shirt, and her blue capri pants. Before leaving her room, she flicked on the TV, to check the news.

"...reports are coming in of a 747 experiencing an engine blow-out, and then miraculously landing safely at Northbrook Airport!" the anchorwoman said. "We take you now to the statement of the pilot of Flight 257."

"_I thought we were goners for sure,_" the pilot said, "_but then, all of a sudden, we started leveling off! I don't know how, but we made it to the Airport, with hardly a scratch! I can remember looking out the window at the starboard wing, and I thought I saw...something, I'm not sure what it was, but...it looked like a man, holding the wing up!_"

"Well, viewers, what do you think?" the anchorwoman asked, smiling. "Was this a true, modern-day miracle...or did Northbrook just have its very first sighting of the elusive being known only as 'Superman'? This is Leanne Mitchell, signing off!"

'_Well, **duh**! Of **course** it was Superman!_' Kitty mentally squealed, her hands clasped in delighted amazement from the report. '_Oh my God, he was **here**! In my town! Possibly above **my** house!_' Quickly, Kitty darted to her computer, found the Superman electronic forum, and printed off a copy of the report. Taking the printout, she opened her walk-in closet, and clipped it with the other Superman clippings she had collected...including a copy of the very _first_ photo taken of him, the stylized 'S' just barely visible to the naked eye. Smiling, she left her room, heading downstairs with her backpack.

Reaching the main floor of her house, Kitty was almost out the door...when her mother came in. "Good morning, Kitten." she greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Mom." Kitty replied, wondering how her mother could stay calm after last night.

"On the news, they're talking about that 'Superman' again." her mother continued. "Honestly! Why do people get so worked up over a silly urban legend?"

Kitty's eyes almost rolled back into her _head_. "_Mom_, Superman is _totally real_!"

"If you say so, honey." Rebecca said. "When do you plan to be home?"

Kitty had had enough. "Mom, you can't, like, just pretend nothing happened!" she shouted. "I'm going to school!" With that, she stormed out the door.

After catching the bus, Kitty walked into Northbrook High School, slightly nervous, as always. Ever since she'd started freshman year, it seemed like she had a "bull's eye" painted on her, as far as the older girls were concerned. She started to put her things in her locker...

...and froze as she found herself cornered by Riley Chase and Amy O'Neill, sophomore-year _uberbitches_ extraordinaire. Riley, 16, was the typical high-school cheerleading queen bee; tall, curvy, perfect light skin, long, curly blond hair, green eyes, clad in the most trendy clothes that her rich daddy's credit card could buy: slim blue jeans, high-heeled shoes, and a violet halter-top that could make _any_ boy look twice. Amy, Riley's best friend, was also 16, with mid-length brown hair, brown eyes, light skin, wearing khaki pants, high-heeled shoes, and a blue t-shirt.

Ever since Kitty had come here, Riley had made Kitty her personal verbal punching-bag, and where Riley went, Amy was never far behind.

"Uh...h-hey, Riley, Amy. W-What's up?" Kitty asked nervously.

Amy just smirked. "'What's up'?" she mocked. "Pathetic."

"Didn't you hear, Pryde?" Riley sneered. "There's an Algebra pop-quiz, today, so you need your textbook."

"But...it's in my locker." Kitty stammered.

"Then you'd better get it." Riley said, smiling evilly. "Don't worry; we'll help."

In less than a minute, Kitty found herself stuffed in her locker..._again_.

Trying to suppress her tears, Kitty tried hitting the door, to draw attention to herself, but to no avail; everyone was heading to class. She _had_ to get out...

Suddenly, she felt herself falling _through_ the steel door, and bumping into the school punk, Lance Alvers, who had been spraying graffiti on the lockers. Lance was a tall, fairly well-built young man of 16, with short, thick brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin, wearing his usual tattered blue jeans, black t-shirt, and brown vest.

Lance looked utterly shocked as he saw her. "Did you...fall _through_ that locker??" he asked.

"_No_!!" Kitty cried. "I've got to get to class, so leave me alone!" With that she ran off, trying to keep from crying.

"Hey." Lance called. Kitty stopped, and turned around. Lance smiled. "Don't worry." Lance said. "I understand...because I'm like you." With that, he gestured...

...and the earth _moved_.

Kitty was horrified. "I...I've got to go!!" she cried, and she bolted off.

She just wanted this day to _end_.

Within a few hours, Clark, the Professor, and Jean had reached the Pryde residence, and were standing outside the door. Before long, Mrs. Pryde come to the door. "Yes?" she asked.

"Mrs. Pryde, I am Professor Charles Xavier, head of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. These are two of my students, Clark Kent and Jean Grey. We wanted to talk to you about your daughter, Kitty."

"I...I'm sorry." Mrs. Pryde answered. "You've come to the wrong place. There's nothing different about my daughter." She started to close the door.

"Ma'am," Clark said, "we understand that this is hard to talk about – believe me, we know. But, the truth is, if you don't talk about it, it gets even _harder_ to deal with...especially for the one going through it. Take that from someone who knows."

Mrs. Pryde paused. "Kitty is at school, right now." she said. "Alexander – my husband – is at work. Please, come in." She opened the door, letting them in.

Inside, Mrs. Pryde invited them to sit in the living room, where the Professor explained things to her. "You mean...my little Kitten is some kind of...mutant?" she gasped, after Xavier was finished. "Dear Lord...where did we go wrong?"

The Professor shook his head. "Mrs. Pryde, it's nothing to be ashamed of." he assured her. "Kitty simply has an advanced X-Gene, like myself and Ms. Grey. Each X-Gene is different; it grants me telepathy, and it gives Jean telekinesis, as well as telepathy."

Mrs. Pryde was silent for a moment...and then looked to Clark. "But...what about him?" she asked.

"Mr. Kent is a...special case." the Professor said, smiling.

"What can he do?"

Clark chuckled. "Ma'am, you wouldn't believe me even if I _told_ you."

"Our Institute is a place where X-Gene-positive individuals can learn to control their talents, free from persecution." Xavier said. "We would like to offer Kitty a place there."

Mrs. Pryde thought for a moment. "Kitty...said she's been bullied by two other girls ever since she started high school." she said. "It...sounds like a good idea...but I should check with her, first." She got up. "I'll just call her cell phone." She picked up her phone and dialed. After a few minutes, she hung up. "She must be at gym class. I'll call the school." She picked up the phone book...and a newspaper clipping fell out. "Oh, good grief!" Mrs. Pryde said. "It's another of those 'Superman' articles that she collects! _Honestly_! Anyway, I'll just be a minute." With that, she headed into the kitchen to make the call.

Clark grimaced. "You've got to be _kidding_ me..."

Jean suppressed a giggle. "Looks like you've got a fan, here, Clark." she said.

"Jean, you'd better head to the school; try to make contact with Kitty and Lance." the Professor said. "Clark and I will stay to talk with the Prydes."

"I will." Jean agreed. With that, she hurried out the door, as Clark and Xavier stayed behind.

On top of the school, Lance, along with his pals, Griff and Pete, were watching the outdoor gym class. Specifically, Lance was watching that girl, Kitty Pryde.

"Lance," Griff – a short, 15-year-old kid with red hair and freckles, wearing jeans, a blue t-shirt and a baseball cap – asked, "how's this girl gonna help us?"

"Just trust me." Lance said. He watched as Kitty tried the long-jump...and landed flat on her face. He watched as she got up...and super-bitch Riley said something that made her run off. Growling, Lance concentrated, just as it was Riley's turn; the earth shook just as Riley jumped, causing her to wipe-out even _worse_.

Pete – a 15-year-old with blond hair, blue eyes, wearing khaki pants, a green t-shirt, and a black vest – smirked. "You like her, don't you?"

"_Shut up!!_" Lance snarled, the earth shaking, causing his pals to back off. "I'm going after her." With that, he ran off, to find Kitty.

'_This is, like, **so** officially the worst day of my life._' Kitty thought as she darted into the old theater building, still in her gym clothes: a light olive t-shirt, and olive sweat pants. She walked onto the stage, utterly dejected.

"Hi."

Startled, Kitty spun around, seeing a tall, beautiful red-head, the kind of girl Kitty wished _she_ were; she'd never seen _this_ girl before. "My name is Jean Grey." the girl said. "And I'm a mutant, like you, Kitty."

'_A mutant?_' Kitty thought. "I...I don't know what you're talking about..."

Jean smiled...and one of the old theater masks suddenly rose into the air. "The X-Gene gives you intangibility – the power to phase through solid matter – just as it gives me telekinesis and telepathy." she explained.

'_Telepathy?!_' Kitty thought – she knew what _that_ was. "S-Stay out of my head!!!" she cried.

Jean froze. "I would _never_..!"

"Just leave me alone!!!" Kitty yelled, fighting tears. "I'm _not_ some freaky mutant and I don't _want_ to be!! _It's hard enough just being **normal**!!_" With that, she ran away.

Jean sighed. '_Well, that went well._' she thought sarcastically. She turned to go...

"_Hey_!!"

Startled, Jean turned to see an angry Lance Alvers storm up to her. "Stay away from Kitty." he growled. "She has _enough_ people picking on her."

Jean remained calm. "Lance, we want to help her," she said, "and we want to help you, too."

"_Right_." Lance sneered. "Just like the guidance councillors. Well, I don't _need_ your help, lady, and neither does Kitty!!" With that, he stormed off.

Sighing, Jean used her telepathy to contact Xavier. '_Professor?_'

'_Yes, Jean?_'

'_I just tried to talk to Kitty and Lance. Lance isn't interested, and Kitty ran off before I could really talk to her._'

Jean felt the Professor chuckle. '_Don't worry, Jean. I have another person in mind to talk to her._'

After school let out, Kitty, back in her regular clothes, was walking home; that guy, Lance, had offered to help her, because he was a mutant, too.

'_A freak..._' Kitty thought sadly, '_...just like me._'

She had walked to a hill in the forest, overlooking the school; it was her favorite spot for thinking. She sat down, put her knapsack aside...and just started crying. She cried for over five minutes, her sobs turning to full-out wails, tears running down her face. "It isn't _fair_!!" she bawled. "Why can't I just be _normal_?!" Then, she just kept crying.

She was crying so loudly, she never heard the sound of feet touching down next to her.

"What's so great about being normal?"

'_Oh, great! **Another** one!_' Kitty thought, miserably sarcastic. "Go _away_!" she wailed. "Just leave me _alone_!!"

"Hey..." the guy said softly, "...it's okay to be scared, Kitty. I _understand_ what you're going through..."

"You _can't_ understand!!" Kitty yelled. "You can't know what it feels like to be such a total fre..." She took that moment to look up...

...and _froze_.

The guy was _big_, in both height _and_ muscle – the image of a Greek _god_, an absolute _titan_, with powerful arms and legs, and a six-pack..._no_, an _eight_-pack of flawless abdominal muscles. His face was _gorgeous_, the perfect mix of "male model" and "action hero," the kind of face no self-respecting girl could resist, with slicked black hair, with a few spiky tufts arcing down over his forehead, only _enhancing_ his rugged good looks, his piercing blue eyes looking right _through_ her, but she wasn't scared, because his kind smile reassured her. He wore a blue bodysuit, with tight red shorts, a yellow belt, red boots, a long, red cape...

...and a stylized red 'S' emblazoned on his chest, within a red-outlined yellow diamond.

'_He's here..._' Kitty thought, '_and he's a total **HOTTIE**!!!_' At that, her brain simply stopped, refusing to process any more information...

Superman just smiled. "Actually, I think I _might_ have an idea."

Kitty couldn't speak. She was a smart cookie; she was acing every class – except gym, since she was a total klutz – but now, sitting before this hero, this _legend_...her brain _would not work_.

Superman noticed, and was even _nicer_ to her than he was before. "I'm sorry if I scared you; I heard you crying." he said. "Oh, by the way, I'm..."

And Kitty's brain _finally_ started working.

"_OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!!!!!!_" Kitty squealed, jumping up and down. "_You're HERE!!!! You're really, really HERE!!!!!_"

Superman paused. "Uh..."

"_You heard me crying, didn't you?!!_" Kitty squealed again.

"Um..."

"Oh my God, I'm totally freaking you out!!" Kitty cried. "Oh, nice going, Pryde!!"

"Well..."

"I'm standing next to freaking _Superman_ and I act like a total _spaz_!!" Kitty lamented. "No _wonder – "_

And then Superman shushed her by simply placing one finger over her lips. Kitty didn't say a _word_, at that point.

"Kitty, if I could fly just _half_ as fast as you can talk, I could reach _Saturn_ in a _day_!" Superman said, laughing – the kind of soft, gentle laugh that nearly made Kitty _melt_, making her feel completely at ease. He gently removed his finger, and Kitty didn't dare say anything. "Now, I'm here because I _do_ understand how you feel." Superman continued. "My friend Jean told me you were upset, so I decided to come talk to you."

"She was _your_ friend?!" Kitty cried, utterly horrified. She lowered her gaze. "Oh, _God_...what you must _think_ of me..."

"I think that you're scared." Superman said. "Lord knows, _anyone_ would be, in your shoes."

Kitty softly sniffled. "Superman, not even _you_ can help me." she sniffed. "My parents think I'm, like, a total _freak_..."

"Kitty, how do you think _my_ parents felt?" Superman asked. "I know _my_ Dad was pretty freaked when his five-month-old adopted son suddenly lifted his old pick-up truck over his head!"

Kitty looked up. "Really?" she asked.

"Really." Superman answered. Chuckling, he added, "And, dear _Lord_, don't even get me _started_ about the time when I was six and I sneezed off the south wall of our barn! For _months_, every time my nose even _twitched_, my Dad yelled, '_Head for the hills!!_'"

Kitty giggled. "Oh my God, you _didn't_!"

"I _did_." Superman said, smiling. "Kitty, I've been 'freaky' ever since I got here...and my parents _still_ love me. Your parents love you, too, Kitty; they just need a little time, that's all."

Kitty felt _so_ much better after hearing that; Superman was so easy to talk to. Then, Kitty frowned. "I just wish I could be freaky at a _different_ school." she sniffed. "Oh _God_, when this gets out, Riley and Amy are going to make my life even _more_ miserable than it already _is_! Ever since I started school here, Riley and Amy have made me their personal verbal punching-bag! They're going to pick on me even _worse_, now! Every single night, I've been crying myself to sleep!" She started sniffling, again.

Very gently, Superman placed his mighty hand on her tiny shoulder. "I know you do, Kitty. I _hear_ you."

Kitty looked up through her tears. "You...you do?"

"I hear _everyone_, Kitty." Superman said. "I hear every teenager crying themselves to sleep; I hear every mother crying because her son's killer got off free; I hear every child crying for his mother who just died of heart failure...or because someone didn't care enough to take a cab after going drinking; and I hear every single bullet fired from some punk's gun. I hear every single bad thing going on in this world, Kitty...and, sometimes, I just can't get there in time to stop it." He closed his eyes. "And when _that_ happens...those noises are _deafening_."

Kitty didn't dare speak for a moment. "_Wow_...it sounds like omnipotence totally _sucks_."

Superman chuckled. "Kitty, I am _not_ all-powerful; I'm just a man." he said. "Besides, I hear other things, too. I hear every new couple when they find out they're going to be parents; I hear every cheer from every graduation; and I hear every infant's first gasp for air. For every example of despair I hear...I hear _three_ examples of _hope_."

"Wow..." Kitty murmured. She weakly smiled. "If I had a _cool_ ability, I wouldn't mind so much." she said. She frowned. "All I can do is get out of lockers."

Superman chuckled. "Kitty, intangibility _is_ a cool power." he said. "You can pass through solid matter as if it wasn't even _there_! _I_ wouldn't mind having it."

"_R-Really_?" Kitty stammered, her face going red. "T-Thanks!"

Superman smiled. "But I think I might be able to help you with your problem, Kitty. You see, I attend..." He froze, looking off in the distance. "_Uh-oh_."

Kitty blinked. "'Uh-oh'??"

Superman focused, his eyes closing, _listening_. "There's a transmission on the international emergency channel." he said. "Beeps...dots, dashes...Morse Code! _SOS!_"

"What? What is it?" Kitty asked, as she watched him focus on something she couldn't perceive.

"There's a Russian sub under the North Pole; they're taking on water!" Superman said. "There's no way any rescue ship can get there in time! They only have a few hours of air left!" He looked back to her. "Kitty, we'll have to finish this talk later." he added. "They need help; I'll be back soon."

Kitty smiled weakly. "Promise?" she whispered.

Superman smiled, and then gave her a friendly wink, before saying, "I _never_ lie."

And with that, he took off into the sky, flying at speeds no aircraft could match, a sonic boom echoing in his wake.

"_Wow_..." Kitty sighed, almost _swooning_; she couldn't believe it. She had _talked_ to _Superman_!! '_Riley will **so** totally **hate** me if she knew!! **Everyone** knows she's an even bigger Superman fan than **I** am!!_' she thought. Then, she giggled. '_Maybe I just won't tell her._'

"Making friends?"

Startled, Kitty turned around, and saw Lance there, frowning. "Do you think that overgrown Boy Scout _honestly_ understands you?" he said.

Kitty paused. "He said..."

"He _flies_, Kitty...and because of it, his head's so far up in the clouds that he _can't_ understand what it's like, down here. All that people like us have is _each other_."

Kitty didn't know what to do. "Uh..." she stammered.

Lance smiled. "You just need control, Kitty, and I can help you get it." he said. "Meet me outside the school in one hour. I'll show you how." With that, he walked away, leaving a very confused Kitty behind.

After discreetly raising the submarine to the surface so that the Russian crew could use their life-rafts, Superman let the sub go, letting it sink, before jetting away, remaining under the surface of the icy water, out of sight. Once he was out of the visual range of the crew, Superman broke the surface, rising into the air, before heading back towards Northbrook, to keep his promise.

As he flew, he passed over New York City...and stopped, as he saw Wolverine, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler in a construction site, fighting..._someone_ – Superman didn't know who it was. It looked like everything was under control...until the burly-looking man got back up, and picked up a large steel pipe, and threw it at them. The three managed to dodge it, but the pipe struck the cable holding up a huge steel girder, causing it to start falling...

...towards the fully-populated streets below.

Quickly, Superman shot down and grabbed the girder, before it fell enough so that people would see it – and him – and carried it up, depositing it safely at the top of the site. That taken care of, Superman flew down...to take care of this situation.

Today was supposed to have been _simple_. All Logan had wanted was a simple drive around New York City on his bike. Instead, all he got was a grudge-match in a construction site with his old "pal" Victor "Sabretooth" Creed.

Creed was one _ugly_ mother: tall, built like an ox – and about as _sharp_ as one, too – with wild, long, unkempt sandy hair, savage eyes, and big honkin' canine teeth, in his usual trench-coat over his brown leather pants and vest. He was a mutant, too, with the same kind of healing powers and heightened senses as Logan; where Logan had his claws, Creed had super-strength.

Logan snarled, crouching low and popping out his claws. "What the hell do _you_ want, Creed?!"

Creed laughed. "Your head on a lance covers it, Short-Stuff!" he snarled. He swung at Logan, who managed to roll under the attack. "'_One shall fall by the other's hand..._'it's our destiny – we _can't_ change it, little man!!"

"I got yer 'destiny' right _here_, bub!!" Logan roared, as he came at Creed, slashing with his claws; Creed dodged the attack...just like he'd _hoped_ he would.

Dropping low after the slash, Logan aimed a precise hit right to Vic's ankle, the relatively fragile bone cracking from the impact. Creed howled in agony, giving Logan time to uppercut Creed's ugly mug with his claws, and followed with a stab right to old 'Tooth's gut. Logan was about to _really_ unload, when Creed backhanded him, sending Logan flying. As Logan recovered, he saw 'Tooth growl, as all the injuries he'd been dealt quickly healed.

'_Terrific,_' Logan thought, '_now he's pissed. I'm gonna be feelin' **this** in the morning..._'

Suddenly, a bright red force-blast sent Creed flying...as Cyclops and Nightcrawler, in uniform, ran up to him. "Logan, you okay?" Cyclops asked, helping him up.

"What the...why the hell are you two here?!" Logan yelled.

Nightcrawler grinned. "He's okay."

With a loud roar, Sabretooth ran at them. Cyclops fired another optic blast from his visor, but Creed ducked under it. When he was inches from them, Nightcrawler hopped on his back and 'ported...causing 'Tooth to miss them entirely, with Nightcrawler hopping off as Creed plowed into a bunch of pieces of two-by-four.

Creed got up, _royally_ steamed, now. "Say your prayers, you little runts." he growled, stalking towards Cyclops and Nightcrawler. "Because I'm gonna..."

_Big_ mistake.

"Remember me?" Logan snarled, as he leapt at Creed, unloading a slashing salvo with his claws, before booting Creed's sorry ass into a pile of steel pipes.

"All _right_!" Nightcrawler crowed. "Ve _rock_! Ve are zhe X-Men!"

All things considered, Logan thought they did okay; Logan had inflicted enough damage to keep him out for a few hours, long enough for his scent-trail to go cold. The kids had kept Creed off-balance enough for Logan to _really_ nail Creed's sorry ass.

But that wasn't the freakin' point.

Growling, Logan glared at Cyclops and Nightcrawler. "I'm only sayin' this _once_." he snarled. "_I_ don't fight your battles; _don't fight **mine**!_"

"Hey," Cyclops said, "we were only trying to..."

"_RRRRAAAAWWWRRRR!!!!_"

Logan arched an eyebrow as Sabretooth got up. "Didn't we kick your ass, already, Creed?" Logan said. "You should be out for a few more hours."

Creed grinned. "Sorry, Short-Stuff." he snarled. He tapped a tiny unit on his belt. "I got this little gizmo from a friend! It _enhances_ mutant powers...like my healing!" He picked up one of the pipes. "_And_ like my strength!" he crowed. "So..._catch_!!" And he tossed the pipe at them.

Logan and the kids managed to duck out of the way, causing the pipe to cause a big girder to get loose and start falling...but Logan never heard a crash.

Sabretooth started stalking towards Cyclops and Nightcrawler, looking thirsty for blood...

...when a gale-force wind sent him flying.

Logan looked around, expecting to see Storm...and saw Flyboy there, touching down. "Need some backup?"

"What the hell?!" Creed muttered. "Who're you?!"

"Next time you throw a pipe, watch where you're throwing it." Superman said.

Creed laughed. "You wanna _make_ somethin' of it, kid?!"

Superman sighed. "I don't want to fight you."

"Smart kid!" Sabretooth laughed. "_I_ wouldn't want to fight me, _either_!!" He pounced at Superman, and punched him in the face.

Flyboy didn't even flinch.

"YEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!" Creed howled in pain, holding his hand. "What the..?!" He growled. "_Why, you little..!!_" He swung again.

Superman caught his fist, like a parent stopping the fist of a spoiled child, his eyes narrowing. "I _tried_ to be nice." he said. He looked at Creed, studying him, his eyes flashing electric blue. "Your cells...regeneration...hey, Logan, does this guy have healing powers, too?"

Logan smirked. "Oh, yeah."

"Good." Superman said. He glared at Sabretooth. "Then you should be able to _walk this off!!_"

_WHAM!!!_

Flyboy's fist moved so fast, Logan didn't even see his hand _move_; in a fraction of a second, Superman's fist drove itself into Creed's gut, the punch echoing like a _thunderclap_. Creed's face was _comical_; he doubled over, like he'd been folded in half, gasping for air...

**_CRACK!!!!_**

Superman's follow-up uppercut was poetry in motion. His fist slammed into Creed's face, sending him flying, out of the construction site, and then out of sight, until he was just a dot on the horizon.

Superman winced. "I didn't mean to hit him _that_ hard."

Logan chuckled. "Relax, Flyboy." he said. "I've seen Creed walk away from _worse_." He looked at Superman. "Like I told _these_ two...I don't fight your battles, so _don't_ fight _mine_!" With that, he walked away, heading back to his motorcycle.

He needed a smoke.

As Logan walked away, Superman was left with Cyclops and Nightcrawler. "_Mein Gott_, vat a grouch!" Nightcrawler said. "Zhe _least_ he could do vas say _zhanks_!"

Superman chuckled. "Don't take it personally, Kurt."

Cyclops nodded. "That's just Logan being Logan." he agreed. To Superman, he asked, "Weren't you on a recruitment mission with Jean and the Professor?"

"I got called away; I was on my way back." Superman replied. "I'd better get going; I've got a promise to keep." With that, he took off, flying towards Northbrook.

Before long, he was over the little town. He listened carefully, trying to find Kitty...and froze as he did. "_Oh, no._" he murmured softly, as he rapidly descended...to stop Kitty from making a _huge_ mistake.

At the Pryde residence, Charles was talking with both of Kitty's parents, with Jean there, as well. Mrs. Pryde was worried. "She's _never_ this late!" she cried. "Something's wrong, I know it!"

"Professor," Mr. Pryde said, "you said you were able to locate...mutants, right? That's how you found out about Kitty. Can't you find her, now?"

"I will try." Charles said. Closing his eyes, he focused, reaching out...

His eyes opened. "We have to get to the school." he said. "Kitty is there, and so is Lance."

"That Alvers boy?!" Mr. Pryde shouted. "What's she doing with _him_?!"

"Lance is also a mutant." Charles said, moving towards the door. "We must go, _now_. Kitty is about to make a _huge_ mistake."

Standing outside Northbrook High, Kitty took a deep breath, and walked towards Lance. "How do you get control?" she asked.

Lance smiled as he saw her. He motioned for her to come over. "Just think about whatever you were thinking about the last time you used it." he said, standing next to the school wall, and Kitty stood next to him.

Kitty took a deep breath, and concentrated. "I...I _can't_..."

"You _can_." Lance assured her. "You just have to make it _yours_."

Kitty re-doubled her focus, placing her hand on the wall, taking Lance's hand in her other one. Slowly, she felt the wall just give way...until they were inside the school.

"_I did it!!_" Kitty squealed. "Did you see me?!"

"I sure did." Lance replied absently, as he walked towards a computer.

Kitty looked around. "The principal's office??" she asked. "Why are we _here_??" She looked over Lance's shoulder.

_Test answers_.

"You just wanted to get in here." Kitty murmured. "You...you just _used_ me..."

"No, I didn't." Lance said, fiercely. "This school just uses these tests to keep us down; I'm evening the score."

"You're going to _sell_ them!! You just needed me to make a quick buck!!" Kitty cried. '_Oh my God, I'm so stupid!!_' she thought.

Lance pulled out a CD from the disc-drive, and then started to walk towards her. "Kitty..."

"Leave her alone."

Kitty was immensely relieved to hear that voice, as she saw Superman standing there, arms crossed, frowning at Lance. "_Superman!!_" she cried joyfully.

Lance whirled around, glaring at him. "How the hell did _you_ get in?!"

Superman just chuckled. "Open second-story windows aren't too hard to enter if you can fly." he said. To Kitty, he added, "Somehow, this doesn't strike me as something you wanted to do with your talents."

Kitty felt immensely ashamed; both for helping Lance and for being so _gullible_.

Lance looked to her. "We're _all_ we've got." he said. "You said so yourself: your parents think you're a freak. They'll never accept you."

"Kitty, do you think he _really_ cares about you?" Superman asked.

Lance glared at him. "Do you think this glorified _Boy Scout_ _loser_ has _any_ idea of how it feels to be an outcast?!"

"Don't _listen_ to him!!" Superman shouted, his voice echoing with enough force to shake the windows. Softer, he added, "And don't listen to _me_ – listen to _yourself_."

Kitty hesitated. She didn't know what to do...

Just then, her parents, as well as Jean and some bald guy in a wheelchair burst in. "Kitty!!" her Mom cried.

Kitty was shocked. '_They...came for me?_' "M-Mom..?"

"Kitty, we're _sorry_!" her father said. "We drove you to this; we were wrong, and we're _sorry_! We know this is hard for you, and that you're trying to deal with it. We're trying, too, honey! _We love you!!_"

Kitty was nearly in tears. "_D-Daddy?!_"

Superman smiled. "What did I tell you?"

"_Forget_ them!" Lance yelled, grabbing her arm and starting to walk away. "You're with _me_, now!!"

Kitty's eyes narrowed. "_No, I'm not!!_" she yelled.

And she phased out of Lance's grip, running to her parents, hugging them.

Lance glowered at her. "_Nobody_ tells me no." he snarled, as he stormed towards her. Kitty gasped...

Instantly, a blue-and-red blur intercepted Lance, as Superman stood between him and Kitty. "I believe you heard the lady."

"Out of my way, Boy Scout!" Lance yelled. "You're standing in the way of an _Avalanche!!_" With that, he used his power: the earth began to shake, causing the ceiling to cave in on them, leaving only Lance unharmed.

When the debris settled, Kitty phased herself and her parents out of the rubble, while Jean used her telekinesis to push the debris off herself and the Professor. Kitty looked to the rubble; Superman was still under it. "_Oh, no..._" she whimpered.

"_Ha!!_" Lance crowed. "_That_ was the Superman that everyone was talking about?! I guess you just can't believe the hype!!" He was about to turn and run...

...when the rubble started shaking...and began to _bulge_.

Instantly, Superman burst free of the debris, without so much as a scratch. Infuriated, Lance began to build up another quake.

Superman's eyes narrowed. "_Enough_." he said; he raised one foot, and slammed it down with earthquake-force.

Instantly, the tremors Lance was causing _ceased_.

Lance's smirk evaporated. "What the..??"

"Simple physics, Lance." Superman said. "Earthquakes are just seismic waves, with all the wave-properties, including _this_ one: when two waves of equal magnitude and opposing phase meet...they _cancel out_."

Lance didn't move...and then he tried to create another quake, but Superman just slammed his foot down again, canceling it out. Enraged, Lance ran at Superman, ready to punch him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Superman warned. Lance didn't listen; he swung at Superman, and his fist connected.

"_ARRRGGGHHH!!_" Lance howled, clutching his fist. "What the hell are you made out of?! _Steel_?!"

"Something like that." Superman replied. Then, he simply inhaled...and _blew_.

The room was instantly filled with hurricane-force winds, focused at Lance. Superman's gale-breath sent Lance flying out through the hole in the wall that the tremors had made, to land a good fifty feet away, out cold.

"_Wow..._" Kitty murmured.

"Dear Lord..." her Dad gasped, "...there...there really _is_ a Superman..."

Superman turned around, smiled, and extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, sir." Alexander, slowly, took Superman's hand and shook it.

Rebecca gasped. "Why...you're that young man that the Professor was with!" she exclaimed.

Instantly, Superman slapped his forehead. "My image-inducer...I _knew_ I forgot _something_..." he said. Smiling sheepishly, he added, "Like I said, Ma'am, you wouldn't have believed me even if I'd told you."

Then, the bald guy rolled his wheelchair over to Kitty. "Kitty, my name is Charles Xavier; I run an Institute where young mutants – like yourself – can learn to control their talents, in safety, and in secrecy."

Jean smiled. "Professor Xavier helped _me_, Kitty." she said. "And he'll help you, too, if you'd like."

Kitty turned to Superman. "Is...this what you were going to tell me about?"

Superman nodded. "Professor Xavier is a good man, Kitty." he replied. "His Institute gave me a place where I didn't have to hide who I really am."

Kitty smiled. "He helped you control your powers?"

The Professor chuckled. "Superman already _had_ control of his powers when we found him." he admitted. "As I said to your mother, Kitty, his situation is...unique."

"But I _know_ he can help you, Kitty." Superman said. "The choice is yours."

Kitty thought for a moment, then turned to her parents.

Her father smiled. "It's your choice, Kitten."

"We're okay with whatever you decide." her mother added.

Kitty turned to the Professor, smiling. "Where do I sign up?"

The Professor smiled. "We'll discuss the details at your house." he said. "We'd best leave, before we draw any attention."

"I'll meet you there." Superman said, as he turned to go.

"Wait!" Kitty called, and Superman stopped, turning back. "Thank you, Superman." she said, her face going redder than Jean's _hair_.

Superman just smiled. "My friends call me Clark." he said. With that, he took off into the sky, as Kitty, her parents, and her new friends piled into the black minivan that the Professor owned, and drove home.

It was a few minutes later when Lance came to.

'_Ugh...I drop a ceiling on the Super-dork, and **I'm** the one who ends up feeling like a mountain fell on me._' he thought bitterly. He picked himself up. '_I'd better scram before the cops get here._' He started to leave.

"Interesting ability you have there."

Lance whirled around, ready to _rock_ whoever this was, to take some of his bad mood on this sucker...but _froze_ as he saw this _blue_ lady there, her eerie yellow eyes glowing with amusement. "Who're _you_?!" Lance exclaimed.

"_Mystique_." the lady replied. "And I know what you're capable of, Lance; very impressive."

"Didn't seem too impressive, a minute ago." Lance grumbled. "I got my ass _handed_ to me."

"Yes, Xavier and his cronies can be...challenging." Mystique replied. "My employer and I have been interested in you for some time, Lance. What would you say to joining a group of youths, just like yourself?"

"Like that girl Jean was talking about?" Lance sneered. "_Forget_ it." He started to walk off.

"Oh, _our_ group is _nothing_ like Xavier's." Mystique said. "Xavier is a _dreamer_; he hopes that mutants like us will one day be accepted." Her eyes narrowed. "Lance, humans treat _each other_ with contempt and hatred...do you really think they will accept _us_ with open arms?"

Lance paused. This lady had just summed up how he'd felt about his gift ever since he'd got it...

"Come with us, Lance." Mystique said. "With strong mutants like you, we will make humanity accept us...or _else_." She smiled. "Somehow, I think you might enjoy being _feared_ more than being loved...like those idiot humans do towards this mythical 'Superman'."

'_She doesn't know about Superman._' Lance thought. He considered telling her...but shook his head. '_Nah; if I tell her I got my butt kicked by a 'myth,' she might change her mind._' He smiled to himself. '_I'll tell her about him **after** I kick **his** ass; **nobody** crosses the Avalanche and gets away with it._'

He grinned. "Count me in, lady...and the name's _Avalanche_."

It was sunset by the time Sabretooth dug himself out; he'd landed in a junkyard, and it had taken a good few hours for his ribs to knit back together and for his teeth to heal.

Whoever that kid was, he hit like a _freight train_.

Picking himself up, Sabretooth snarled as he felt some bones stick into soft tissue...collateral damage, courtesy of his little swan-dive from the stratosphere. He looked at the power-booster that he'd been given; it was _toast_.

'_Why the hell didn't Mags **tell** me about that guy?!_' Sabretooth mentally roared. It was time to find out; he took out his communicator, and dialed up his boss.

"_Report, Creed._"

"What the _hell_, Magneto?!" Sabretooth roared. "Why the bloody hell didn't you _tell_ me that Short-Stuff's team had a God-damn _RINGER_?!"

Magneto was silent, for a moment. "_You encountered Superman._"

"Damn _right_!!" Sabretooth snarled. "The little bastard nearly sent me into _orbit_!! Why the hell didn't you _warn_ me about him?!!"

"_Yes, I knew that Superman was real._" Magneto admitted. "_But what makes you think he's one of Charles'?_"

"He called Short-Stuff by _name_, Lensherr!!"

Magnet was silent again. "_This is indeed troubling._" he said. "_I will confer with my associate. Return to base._" With that, the line went silent.

Snarling, Sabretooth began to walk out of the junkyard, limping at first, until his healing factor fixed that. '_You got lucky, this time, Short-Stuff,_' he thought, '_but I'll be havin' the **last** laugh._' He growled. '_And as for **you**, you flying punk...**nobody** makes a fool out of Sabretooth!! **NOBODY!!!**_'


	6. Gone Rogue

CHAPTER FIVE: GONE ROGUE

_Louisiana, New Orleans, October 12, 2006_

It was the biggest bash of the year for the students of St. Anne High School. The entire freshman class was in an old boathouse, and the party was in full swing.

Outside, on the dock, leaning against the railing, looking at the stars, was a young girl, 15 years old, fairly tall, and of average frame, with mid-length auburn hair, with two white streaks in the middle, falling down over her forehead, and green eyes. Her light skin was lighter due to her make-up, her lips a light shade of violet, and she was clad in a black tank-top under a green, transparent blouse, with a black miniskirt and black leggings.

"Hey, Rogue."

The girl – Rogue – smiled, as Cody Robbins, the star quarterback of the St. Anne Gators, the boy she was currently dating, walked up to her. Cody was tall and well-built, with short, blond hair and blue eyes, wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt under his letterman jacket. Cody was the most popular guy at school, but unlike some, the popularity never went to his head; he was the nicest guy she'd ever met, and he _never_ pressured her for _anything_ throughout their relationship.

"Hey." Rogue replied, her voice holding a Southern accent, like everyone around here.

Cody smiled. "Care to dance?"

"Love to, sugah." Rogue replied. Cody's smile grew; their hands met, with one of Cody's resting comfortably on her waist, the other holding her hand, with Rogue's free hand on his shoulder, and then they began to just move with the music.

After a few minutes, Cody looked into her eyes. "Rogue...chere...why won't ya tell me your _real_ name?" he inquired.

Rogue just smiled coyly. "Ah'll only tell _that_ to the man Ah _love_." she replied.

Cody smiled. "Will you tell me, one day?"

Rogue smiled. "Ah don't know." she answered. "Ah'll just have ta see..."

No more words were needed. Slowly, they moved closer to each other, until their lips touched...

Rogue felt a surge of alarm, as something just..._went off_ inside her; she felt images surging into her mind – images of _Cody_. She broke the kiss...and nearly screamed in horror, as she saw Cody, eyes rolling up in his head, pale as a ghost, collapsing as she let go of him.

Rogue didn't know what to do. Panicking, she ran out through the party, out the door, running away as fast as she could run.

Someone was watching Rogue as she fled the party.

From her vantage point in a tree, as a crow, Mystique dropped down, returning to her natural form, smiling. "It's time." she said to herself, before she assumed another form.

Wolverine's form.

Her change complete, Mystique – as Logan – ran after Rogue...to make sure Xavier didn't get her first.

_Xavier Institute_

Deep beneath the Institute, the Professor, Storm, Wolverine, and all the X-Men – including Kitty – had gathered in the control room overlooking the Danger Room.

All except one.

Kitty felt her heart quicken as she saw Clark – Superman – walk out into the Danger Room, in his uniform. Everyone in the control room – except the Professor – was in uniform, too, including her. Kitty now wore a black bodysuit, with a triangle down the mid-section, like Jean's, except hers was light blue. It also had a yellow-lapeled collar, and she wore yellow gloves, with light blue, shin-high boots. It was her new uniform, to go with her new code-name.

_Shadowcat_.

There was someone else in the control room, too: a tall, broadly-built man, with short, black hair, and dark eyes framed by glasses, and he wore khaki pants, and a navy t-shirt under his white lab-coat. He was Mr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, one of the Professor's friends.

"Charles, I'm glad you called me here." Mr. McCoy said excitedly. "Mr. Kent's abilities are _amazing_! I can't wait to see them in action!"

The Professor smiled. "I hope this lives up to all our expectations." he said. "This will be the second time we've tried to accurately assess Clark's abilities."

"Zhe second?" Kurt asked. "Vat happened to zhe first?"

Kitty hated to admit it, but Kurt kinda creeped her out. It wasn't because of how he acted; he had to be one of the sweetest guys she'd ever met. He was just..._blue_. Kitty hated herself for thinking that way; she was _trying_ to deal with it.

Scott chuckled. "When Clark first came here...we had _no_ idea how powerful he was." he said. "He...kinda..."

"...broke the Danger Room." Jean finished, smiling. "Completely by accident, of course!"

"He _broke_ zhe Danger Room?!" Kurt laughed. "_Mein Gott_, zat's _got_ to be a first!"

Just then, they heard Clark's voice over the inter-com. "Are you guys _still_ talking about that?" he laughed – he'd heard them. "How many times does a guy have to say he's sorry?"

Chuckling, the Professor replied, "Well, Clark, now that we have a better idea of what you're capable of, we hope to accurately gauge the limits of your powers."

Clark just smiled. "I'll do my best, Professor."

Quickly, before the Professor shut off the inter-com, Kitty cheered, "_Go_, Clark!!"

Smiling, Clark said, "Thanks, Kitty."

Kitty was glad that Clark couldn't immediately see her, due to the fact that she was blushing. She was _seriously_ crushing on the handsome Kryptonian, no doubt about it.

It was so _amazing_, the fact that he _was_ an alien. He had been sent to Earth, to escape the destruction of his home world. It was like something from a _movie_.

The Last Son of Krypton.

Just then, the Danger Room began to change, its holographic emitters activating. It was go-time for Superman.

Silently, Kitty wished her hero luck...even though she knew he hardly needed it.

Slowly, the Danger Room went from silvery metal to city streets, as Superman found himself in the middle of a huge metropolis.

Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his back; turning, he saw about a dozen or so automated drones, armed with laser rifles. They'd been shooting at him.

The drones kept firing, their shots bouncing harmlessly off his chest. Superman quickly remembered his objective in this simulation: to prevent damage and loss of life to the city.

Those guns had to be dealt with before he stopped the drones.

Like lightning, Superman zipped through the drones at incredible speed, snatching their weapons as he did, until all the drones were disarmed. He quickly crushed the guns into one big metal pile, and then, with the same speed, demolished the drones.

"_Help!!_"

Quickly, Superman flew across the city, tracking the owner of that cry to an abandoned alley, where a gunman was holding up a young lady. Superman quickly shot down, grabbed the gunman by the scruff of his collar, took the gun away from him, and flew off, stopping to deposit the gunman in the custody of a street patrolman.

Just then, he heard people on a nearby street start screaming, and saw why: a bill-board on top of a building had come loose, and was about to fall. Superman instantly flew up to the sign, catching it, and put it back, using his eye-beams to weld it securely back in place.

Suddenly, he heard a tell-tale cracking noise from far away. Flying to its source, Superman saw that the dam was breaking, threatening to flood the entire city.

Taking a deep breath, Superman let loose a huge gust of his freezing-breath, freezing the entire lake _solid_, halting the tides of the flood, before he used his eye-beams to weld the cracks in the dam shut.

'_Okay,_' Superman thought, '_what next?_'

_THUD._

'_I had to ask._' Superman thought, as he turned...and saw a huge, hulking robot, over fifty stories high, stomping through the city, citizens fleeing in its path.

'_Well, **that's** original._' Superman thought with a smile, shaking his head; he knew who was goofing with the controls. '_Kurt, you nut! You've been watching too many sci-fi movies!_'

Superman flew after the robot, firing his eye-beams, searing holes in its armor. In response, the robot fired a huge missile at him; Superman easily evaded it, but the missile continued on...

...heading for a hospital.

Instantly, Superman broke off his attack, and flew after the missile at top speeds. He quickly caught up to it, and flew under it, pushing up, and altered the missile's course, as it missed the hospital completely. Once it was high enough, Superman fired his eye-beams, incinerating it.

Spying a construction site, Superman flew down, grabbed a large steel girder, and picked it up, flying towards the robot, and then threw it with the accuracy of an Olympic javelin-thrower, piercing the robot's skull, hitting its CPU. Instantly, the robot just _stopped_, standing there like a monument, now the world's largest paperweight.

"_Excellent, Clark. That will do._"

Superman touched down at the Professor's voice over the inter-com, the Danger Room deactivating, the holographic city vanishing. Then, Cyclops and Jean walked into the Danger Room. "Good job, Clark." Cyclops said, smiling. "The training-program you designed worked perfectly."

Clark just shrugged. "It was just a copy of the training program I used to use in the Fortress." he said. "No big deal."

"Well, it certainly works." Jean said. Chuckling, she looked up at the control room, and called out, "Until _somebody_ decided to start goofing with the controls!"

_Bamf!_

Nightcrawler appeared in a cloud of brimstone. "Aw, come on; I just vanted to see if Superman really _could_ take on a giant robot!"

"Well, now you know." Superman said, chuckling. "No harm done, I suppose."

"Clark, you were _awesome_!!" Shadowcat exclaimed as she ran into the Danger Room. "And the way you took out that robot...it was just _incredible_!!"

"_X-Men, report to the control room; you should all take a look at these results._" came the Professor's voice on the inter-com. Cyclops and Jean headed out of the Danger Room, and Superman followed them, with Shadowcat following, as Nightcrawler 'ported himself to the control room.

In the control room, the Professor, Storm, and Wolverine were waiting for them, with Hank looking at a computer screen. "Clark," the Professor said, smiling, "we have the results of the simulation, as well as those of the examination you completed earlier."

Clark chuckled. "So, what did Mr. McCoy find?" he joked; Hank – an avid scientist – had been _thrilled_ to be able to conduct an examination of a "real, live, alien."

Hank gestured to the computer screen, which showed an image of a person, filled in with various blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds. "This is the readout from a bio-energy scan; it's a new technology developed to measure the relative energy levels in mutants." he explained. "This readout is from Scott's most recent simulation." He brought up another readout, almost identical to the first. "This is Jean's readout," he brought up another one, "this is Kurt's," and he brought up yet another, "and this is Kitty's." All the readouts looked alike.

His eyes lit up. "And _this_, Clark, is _yours_." He brought up one more.

Everyone gasped in amazement: Clark's readout showed almost _entirely_ red and orange. "Whoa..." Cyclops murmured.

Nightcrawler let out a low whistle.

Jean didn't speak.

Shadowcat started to open her mouth, but then closed it again.

"Your medical scans shed light on your internal processes, Clark." Hank continued. "Essentially, your physiology and anatomy are practically identical to that of an average human's: nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, circulatory system...for the most part, you're exactly like an average human male."

"So, what's the difference?" Cyclops asked.

"_This_." Hank said, gesturing to another screen; this screen depicted an X-ray image of a person's – Clark's – outline, with numerous, spherical organs dispersed throughout his body.

Jean blinked. "I'm guessing that those aren't lymph nodes."

"No, they're not, Jean; I have no _idea_ what they are." Hank agreed. "However, I have an idea of what they do; I subjected Clark's energy-scan to a finer scale." He tapped a few keys; the energy-scan now showed mostly red and orange, but with numerous spherical patches of very dark red dispersed throughout. Hank tapped a few more keys, and the two scans moved together...overlapping each other _perfectly_.

"Whatever these organs are, they seem to form a kind of internal 'energy transfer system'." Hank said. "Clark, you said that your body draws strength from the sun, correct?" Clark nodded. "Well, based on this data, I'd say that these organs are how you do it! It's absolutely fascinating!"

"Wow." Clark said; he'd often wondered _exactly_ how his powers worked.

"'Wow' is putting it _mildly_!" Hank exclaimed. "Clark, this system is your _primary_ metabolic system; your digestive, respiratory, circulatory systems...they're all just '_back-ups_' to this system! You don't need to eat, you don't need to drink...Clark, you don't even need to _breathe_!"

"Whoa! Zat _is_ cool!" Nightcrawler said. "Kinda veird...but _cool_!"

"Furthermore, this system interacts with your other biological systems; it converts food _directly_ into energy – _absolute_ efficiency, something that no other organism on this planet can boast of!" Hank exclaimed. "It seems to be also capable of doing the reverse; it can make everything a cell needs – glucose, amino acids, nucleic acids..._everything_! All you need is solar energy! Your body's immune system also seems to derive energy from this system; scans of your immune cells show higher levels of immune cells than any other human, but with no signs of inflammation! Your body must be capable of neutralizing any pathogen or cancer cell that invades or forms almost _instantly_! I bet not even the _Ebola_ virus or the _HIV_ can phase you! And through this system, none of the 'negative' nutrients can work – fats, cholesterol – since they all get burned off and reassembled before they can do any harm!"

Shadowcat lightly frowned. "Okay, no offence Clark, but that is _so_ not fair!"

"To put this into perspective," Hank finished, "Scott, your powers also draw from the sun; your body takes in solar energy, and re-channels it through your eyes. Basically, you're a kind of 'solar battery'."

Cyclops chuckled. "Yeah, with no 'off-switch'."

"Clark, however," Hank added, "takes in solar energy, and can convert it directly to matter, _or_ transfer it around his body, converting it to other forms as he needs to; he's a living solar _reactor_."

"Thanks for the science lesson, Hank," Wolverine said, "but I'm still waitin' for the bottom-line."

The Professor chuckled. "The 'bottom-line', Logan, is that, due to the tremendous amount of raw power that Clark has, it's quite likely that he is mostly – if not _completely_ – _immune_ to X-Gene powers."

"You know, that kind of makes sense; it explains why the Professor and I can't hear his thoughts." Jean observed. "Telepathy works by us picking up thoughts – changes in electrical activity in the brain. We can't read the thoughts of animals, like dogs or cats, because there is so much less activity; their mental 'frequency' is too low." Turning to Clark, she added, "_You_, Clark, are in the _opposite_ extreme; with all that activity in your head, _your_ 'frequency' is too _high_."

"Wow. That _is_ pretty interesting." Clark said.

"Okay," Cyclops said, "time for some team-work simulations."

"Aw, come _on_, Scott! We've been running these ever since we got back from school!" Shadowcat cried.

"_Ja_, man! It's zhe _veekend_!" Nightcrawler protested.

"The first team will be...Kurt, Kitty, and Clark." Cyclops said.

"I'm in!" Shadowcat chirped.

Suddenly, an alarm went off. "I'm afraid the simulations will have to wait." the Professor said. "Cerebro has just detected a new mutant signature." He moved to a console, bringing up the data. "Rogue, 15 years old, in Louisiana, New Orleans. Her power is that of life-force absorption; a touch of her skin enables her to draw the energy and memories from the one who touched her. If the person is a mutant, it also allows her to temporarily assume their powers."

"Whoa, that could be dangerous." Cyclops said. "She could use _any_ mutant's power."

"Which is precisely why you must find her first." Xavier said. "I'm also detecting other mutant signatures in Louisiana, but I can't locate them; it's possible that others are after her, as well."

"Who?" Jean asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Xavier said. "I may have an idea...but I don't want to say until I'm _positive_."

"Professor...what are you hiding from us?" Cyclops asked. "Why won't you tell us?"

Xavier looked terribly haunted. "_Because I fervently hope I'm wrong._" he admitted.

"I know of someone in New Orleans; a friend." Storm said. "I can contact him, let him know to meet us there; he should be able to help us."

"Good idea, Storm." Xavier agreed. "Now, go, and find our little Rogue." At that, Superman and the X-Men, including Storm and Wolverine, raced to the Blackbird.

As they headed through the hallway, Cyclops glanced to Superman. "Looks like this'll be your first team mission, Clark!" he said.

Superman grinned. "Wouldn't miss it!"

In minutes, they reached the Blackbird's hangar, and the X-Men all got into the plane, with Superman remaining outside. As the Blackbird began to take off, Superman took to the air, flying beside the Blackbird, as they headed towards New Orleans.

Rogue didn't stop running until she was far away from the party. She just wandered around the neighborhood, trying to figure out what on Earth had happened.

She barely realized it when she stopped by a house she had never seen before, walked up to it, took the spare key from under the mat, unlocked it, and headed inside.

She walked up to a bedroom, and looked around.

She saw all sorts of trophies and awards on a shelf overlooking a desk.

_...she could remember getting one plaque for a First-Place win in Public Speaking..._

_...she'd gotten an MVP trophy for that pass in last year's game..._

_...and that certificate was for being on the honor roll for several years in a row..._

Rogue shook her head to clear it. '_What the...Ah neva did any of that stuff! **Cody** did!!_' she thought. She looked around; this was _Cody's_ house! How had she gotten _here_?! Suppressing a horrified sob, Rogue ran down the stairs.

"Lost, are we?"

Looking around, Rogue screamed as she saw a burly-looking man in black and orange tights...with _metal claws extending from his knuckles!!_

The man roared in feral rage, and slashed at her. Rogue managed to duck under the attack, and ran for her life. She kept running, even after she was out of Cody's house.

She never wanted to see that maniac _again_.

After Rogue fled from her, Mystique resumed her natural form; her plan was working perfectly.

'_I am sorry, my dear Rogue, but this is for your own good._' Mystique thought to herself. '_I won't lose you to Xavier._'

With that, she changed into a crow, and flew out of the house, to track Rogue from the air.

The Blackbird silently touched down in a clearing outside Louisiana. Cyclops was the first one off, as Superman touched down a few feet away. As the others got out, Cyclops looked around. "So, Storm, where's your friend?" he asked. "Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?"

Superman closed his eyes, listening. He opened them. "He's already here."

"_Tres bien, mon ami._" (1)

Cyclops and the others turned, in time to see a 16-year-old young man, with short brown hair and light skin, wearing dark glasses, clad in a black bodysuit under a long, brown trench-coat, with a metal bo-staff casually held behind his head, walk over to them. "Ain' no-one ever been able t' hear Remy when he tryin' t' be quiet 'bout where he is." the young man said in a Cajun accent, a confident smile on his face. He tipped his staff in salute.

Storm smiled pleasantly. "Hello, Gambit." she said. "How are you?"

The young man – "Gambit" – smiled, and walked towards Storm. "Oh, Remy be okay, considerin'." he replied. He took Storm's hand, and kissed it. "And you, Stormy, are _tres belle, comme toujours._" (2)

Storm laughed. "You haven't changed." she said. "You were a flatterer four years ago, and you're a flatterer, today."

"I'm guessing you're Storm's friend." Cyclops hazarded.

The young man bowed. "_Je suis Remy LeBeau, mais, pour mes amis, je m'appelle Gambit._" he said. (3)

"Remy's aunt is an old friend of mine." Storm explained. "It was through her that I learned of his mutation; Remy can charge any object full of kinetic energy and convert it to an explosive."

"Guilty as charged." Remy – Gambit – said. "Or, dere's de short version: wit' one touch, Remy can blow _merde_ up."

"So, why hasn't the Professor tried to recruit you?" Cyclops asked.

"Prob'ly 'cause o' how Remy was already...'employed'." Gambit said. "Y' see...for most o' his life, Remy was a member...o' de T'ieves Guild."

Jean was shocked. "You're a _thief_?" she asked, a touch of scorn in her voice.

Remy looked a bit insulted. "_Oui_, Red, Remy be de best damn t'ief in Nawlins'." he said. "Didn' 'ave much choice; Remy's real folks 'bandoned 'im when he was only a _bebe_. Remy picked pockets for 'is whole childhood...'til he picked de pocket o' Jean-Luc LeBeau, head o' de Guild. Back den, Remy 'bout figured 'is number was up, but Jean-Luc took Remy in, an' taught 'im 'ow t' be a _real_ t'ief."

Jean looked horrified. "I'm sorry...I didn't know."

Gambit just shrugged. "In de long run, it prob'ly _still_ wasn' a bright idea." he admitted. "See, to stop a war wit de Assassins' Guild, _mon pere_ decides to stop de feud by marryin' his son – Remy – to de daughter of de head o' de Assassins' Guild – Belladonna Boudreaux...conveniently forgettin' dat Remy might wan' t' 'ave a say in de matter. _Merde_, dat Belladonna was one _belle femme_, but she 'ad t' be de bitchiest woman on de face o' de _planet_, an' she 'ated Remy's _guts_. Remy sure wasn' gonna suffer de likes o' _dat_, so he lit on outta dere...an 'e's been hidin' out from de Guild for de past few months."

"Wow." Shadowcat said. "But...why did your parents abandon you?"

"Well, _Petite_, Remy can' say for sure," Gambit said, taking off his glasses, "but if 'e 'ad t' guess, it be on account o' _dese_."

His eyes were completely _black_, with _red_ irises.

"_Whoa..._" Shadowcat murmured.

"Ocular melanism..." Superman said, "...a build-up of melanin – pigment – in the eye. I've heard of cases of it...but never one so pronounced."

"Well, someone been doin' 'is homework." Gambit said. He glanced to Superman. "If Remy 'ad t' guess, 'e'd say dat you be dis 'Superman' in all dem legends dat Remy keeps 'earin' 'bout."

Jean arched an eyebrow. "Why do you talk in the third person?"

Gambit looked thoughtful. "Why, Remy don' rightly know, chere. Guess it jus' be a Cajun t'ing."

"Well, we'd better get moving; we have to find this 'Rogue'." Cyclops said. "Superman, you and Storm should take to the air – see if you can spot her."

"On it." Superman said, as he took to the air, followed by Storm, flying ahead of them.

"I'll see if I can sniff her out." Wolverine said, and he ran off ahead of them.

"Okay, then – everyone else, fan out." Cyclops instructed. "We should be able to spot her if we spread out." At that, the group spread out, and began to move through the brush, looking for Rogue.

They had been searching for about ten minutes, when Superman reported, via his communicator, "_I think I see her! She's a few miles ahead, heading for a cemetery!_"

"Get to the cemetery, and wait for us there; we'll follow her on foot – going in from the air might scare her!" Cyclops replied. "Okay, people, let's move!" With that, they all ran towards the cemetery.

Wolverine met them at the cemetery gates, as Superman and Storm touched down. "Okay," Cyclops said, "everyone head in, spread out, and if you find her, try to keep her calm. We don't want to..."

But he was cut off as a tremor shook the earth.

"Well, who do we have here?" came a voice, as Lance – Avalanche – stepped into view, wearing a dark blue bodysuit, with reinforced chest padding, grey boots, and a glass dome over his head. Then, Toad – in the armored uniform he'd worn when he'd infiltrated the Institute – hopped out next to him.

"_Lance?!_" Shadowcat cried. "What're _you_ doing here?!"

"Hey, pretty Kitty." Avalanche sneered. "A friend of mine told me that you X-Geeks were looking for a new recruit..."

"...so we figured, hey, why not see if we could snatch her first?" Toad finished. "The new Brotherhood of Mutants could always use new members!"

"Cyclops," Superman said, "you'd better go on ahead."

"_Oui_." Gambit agreed, casually retracting his staff and tucking it into his coat. "Me an' de big guy, we t'ink we can 'andle dese chumps."

Superman turned to Shadowcat, smiling. "You up for it, Shadowcat?"

Shadowcat beamed. "You _bet_, Superman!"

Avalanche glowered at Superman. "I was _hoping_ you'd say that, Super-dork. I've been _itching_ for a second crack at you."

Toad, however, wasn't so bold. "_S-Superman?!_" he cried. "Whoa, Lance, y-you never said that _he_ was the guy you tangled with!"

"Oh, for the love of...will you quit whining, Tolansky?!" Avalanche snapped.

Cyclops nodded to Superman. "We'll find Rogue."

Jean smiled. "Don't kick their butts _too_ hard." she said. With that, the rest hurried into the cemetery, leaving those three to handle the "Brotherhood."

As Superman, Shadowcat, and Gambit were left behind, Avalanche started to form an earthquake. With one mighty foot-stomp, Superman canceled it out, sighing. "Can't you try something _new_, Lance?"

Avalanche smirked. "Like _this_?" he shot back. "Toad!"

At once, Toad hopped at Superman, and fired a huge glob of goo, completely covering his face.

"Oh, _gross!!_" Shadowcat cried.

"_Merde_." Gambit said, grimacing. "Dat be _nasty_."

"Ha!!" Toad declared. "You were right, Lance! What a total chump! What a..." but he froze...as he saw _two glowing red eye-spots appearing in the slime_.

Instantly, the hardened goo blasted apart as Superman's eye rays incinerated it, his face none the worse for wear...with an annoyed expression on it.

Toad smiled sheepishly. "Uh...about that 'chump' crack..._completely_ out of line!"

Superman then saw the tree directly behind Toad...and extended his hand to Shadowcat. Shadowcat took it, and Superman quickly spun her for a throw, and sent her flying like an arrow towards Toad, who screamed. But instead of hitting him, Shadowcat phased through Toad, turning as she passed through...to rebound off the tree, and tackle him to the ground, before cartwheeling right back to where she'd started from. "We did it!" she cheered. "That move _worked_!"

Superman then spied Avalanche getting ready for another quake. With one powerful foot-stomp, Superman caused Avalanche to _bounce_ right off the ground. As the earth-shaking youth landed, Superman stomped again, sending him bouncing a bit higher. After two more bounces, Superman zipped over to where Avalanche landed, casually reached over, his hand inches from Avalanche's chest...and just _flicked_ him with his finger.

That tiny flick had more than enough force to send Avalanche flying, to land hard on the ground; he'd be sore, but otherwise okay. Superman inhaled, and blew his freezing-breath, coating Avalanche with enough ice to keep him there for a little while, but not enough to give him so much as a cold. "Just chill there for a little while." he said.

By then, Toad had started to get back up. Shadowcat ran at him, and dove for his ankles, phasing as she grabbed them...and trapping his feet in the ground, phasing out of the ground as she did.

"_Merci, Petite._" Gambit said, before smiling slyly at Toad...and taking out a deck of playing cards from his coat. "Feel lucky, _mon_ _ami_?" he asked. He drew five cards from the deck. "De game be de five-card draw, deuces wild."

The five cards instantly began to glow a blazing white, and Gambit flicked them at Toad with the accuracy of a darts champion. The cards exploded in fair-sized blasts, sending Toad flying, knocking him out; he'd be okay.

"_Desole, mon ami._" (4) Gambit said, putting his deck away. "Dealer wins. Guess it ain' y' lucky day."

"_We won!!_" Shadowcat cheered. "We rock!"

"It's not over, yet." Superman said. "We still have to find Rogue. Let's go." With that, he ran into the cemetery, followed by Shadowcat and Gambit.

After they'd split up to search the cemetery, Jean tried to scan for Rogue with her telepathy, but the girl's confusion made it difficult to zero in on her; not only that, a thick fog was rolling in.

Suddenly, Jean saw her, running through the rows of graves. "Wait!!" Jean called, running after her. "We want to help you!"

Rogue stopped, turning around, looking terrified. "W-Who're you?!" she cried.

"My name is Jean Grey." Jean said. "My friends and I have been looking for you, Rogue."

"H-How do ya know about meh?!" Rogue demanded.

"Please, we just want to help you." Jean soothed.

"If ya want ta help meh, then just keep that lunatic away from meh!!" Rogue cried.

_Bamf!_

"Jean, I'm not having any luck..." Nightcrawler began, but paused as he saw Rogue. "Oh. Uh..._Guten Tag, fraulein_." he greeted. (5)

"_AAAAHHHH!!!_" Rogue screamed. "W-What the..?!"

"No, it's okay!" Jean assured her. "This is Kurt; he's one of my friends!"

"Jean, I'm pickin' up her scent!" Wolverine called as he came into view. "She's right about..."

Rogue let out a blood-curdling scream. "_GET AWAY FROM MEH!!_" she screamed, and she pushed Kurt out of her way...

...her bare hand connecting with his face, by accident.

Nightcrawler went limp, falling over, as Rogue 'ported away, sing his power.

'_Scott, get over here! Kurt's down!_' Jean telepathically cried. In seconds, the others, including Scott, had gathered around their fallen friend. "I lost sight of Rogue." Jean said. "She used Kurt's powers."

Just then, Superman, Shadowcat, and Gambit ran up to them. "_Kurt!_" Shadowcat cried, kneeling by her friend. "Hang on, fuzzy!" She looked to Jean. "Is he okay?"

Jean gently touched Kurt's mind...and nodded. "He's just unconscious."

"We lost track of Rogue." Cyclops said. "Dammit, we can't see in this fog!"

"She isn't far." Superman said, listening. "She's near an old warehouse, at the edge of the cemetery, a few feet east of here."

"You go on ahead." Cyclops said. "We'll follow on foot." Superman nodded, and flew off, as the others followed, with Wolverine lifting Nightcrawler onto his shoulders before following.

Nearly in tears, Rogue ran far away, coming to an old, abandoned warehouse, just outside the cemetery gates. She climbed over the gates, and darted into the warehouse, to hide. She climbed the stairs to the second floor, standing under the big hole in the ceiling, before she decided to hide in the shadows in the corner of the room...

"Please, miss, don't be afraid. We want to help you."

'_H-How'd they find meh so fast?!_' Rogue mentally wailed. She turned to face her pursuer. "Just leave meh _alone_!" she yelled at the guy. "First Ah get chased by some nut with claws, then Ah get ambushed by a blue _thing_, an' _now_ Ah'm talkin' to a guy in a Superman costume!" She started to back away.

The guy noticed. "Miss, please, that floor...it isn't safe..." He started to move towards her.

"_Just leave meh **alone**!!!_" Rogue screamed, as she took another step backwards...

...and the floor gave way.

Rogue screamed as she began to fall...and stopped as the stranger grabbed her hand, stopping her fall. "Easy, now; I've got you." he said, smiling gently. "I won't let you fall." Then, as if she weighed nothing at all, he pulled her back up.

"_Don't touch meh!!_" Rogue cried, yanking her hand out of his grip. "Everytime someone touches mah skin..." Then it hit her.

He'd held her bare hand...and _nothing happened_.

Slowly, gingerly, Rogue reached out...and touched the stranger's nose with her fingertip.

Nothing.

Slowly, she touched his nose for a few seconds longer.

Still nothing.

Then, taking a deep breath, she touched her hand to his face.

_Zip_.

"Oh mah Gawd..." Rogue murmured. She looked at him carefully. "What..._are_ you?"

Just then, a very angry-looking Jean came storming up the stairs. "I _tried_..." she hissed at Rogue, "...I _tried_!! _But some people just won't be helped!!_"

"_Jean!!_ What are you _doing_?!" the guy yelled. "We're supposed to be _helping_ her!!" Then, the stranger paused, looking at her.

Rogue _swore_ she saw his eyes flash electric blue.

"_Wait_ a minute." the guy said, his eyes narrowing. "_You're_ not Jean. Who are you, lady?!" At that, "Jean" froze, startled...

...and then _another_ Jean came up the stairs, followed by a few other people in suits, too. "Rogue, please don't be..._what on Earth?!!_" the second Jean cried, as she saw her duplicate.

Angered, the guy turned to the first Jean, inhaled, and then _blew_.

A gale-force wind filled the room, slamming the first Jean into the wall; as she hit, she cried out..._in a different voice_.

Slowly, the first Jean began to change...into a blue-skinned, red-haired woman.

"A shape-shifter..." the guy with funny-looking goggles murmured.

At that revelation, everything made sense. "_You_..." Rogue said, her eyes narrowing in anger, "...it was _you_!! _You_ were the one chasing meh!!"

At her anger, the blue-skinned woman looked hurt, saddened...and then she glared at the one who'd exposed her. "You ruined _everything..._" she hissed, standing up.

The stranger glared back. "I don't know who you are," he said firmly, "and, frankly, I don't _care_. But I don't _ever_ want to see your face again. Now, _get lost_."

The woman glowered at him. "You..." she spat, "...just made the biggest mistake of your _life_." With that, she changed into a crow, and flew away.

Now Rogue looked among these people. "You...weren't tryin' ta hurt meh?" she asked.

Jean – the _real_ one – smiled, and shook her head no. "We want to help you, Rogue." she said.

"We're from the Xavier Institute, where mutants like us learn to control our gifts." the goggles guy said. "We wanted to ask you if you were interested."

Rogue gulped. "And...if Ah say no?"

The burly guy – the real one – chuckled. "We'd be disappointed, Stripes, but we'd respect your decision."

Rogue lightly smiled. "Whah not?" she said. Then, she turned to the stranger with the X-ray eyes. "Who _are_ you?" she asked. "Ah just wanna know."

The stranger just smiled gently, looking at her as if she already knew.

It hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh mah freakin' _Gawd_..." Rogue murmured, "...that ain't a costume...you're the _real_ Superman..."

"Pleased to meet you, Rogue." Superman greeted. "Now, let's get out of here, okay?"

Rogue smiled back; somehow, she knew she could trust these people.

"Okay."

It hadn't taken them long to get back to the Blackbird.

Superman watched as the others made preparations to take off, and then heading back outside to bid farewell to Gambit.

Gambit, however, had spent the time talking to Rogue. "Remy t'ink he see why dey wanted t' help y', chere." Remy said smoothly. "One look at y' an Remy would've walked t'rough Hell for y'."

His Cajun charm, however, was wasted on Rogue. "Ah _ain't_ yer 'chere,' Swamp-Rat!" she snapped. "_Gawd_, can't ya go annoy someone _else_?!"

Remy wasn't deterred at _all_. "_Belle, puissante, et fiere..._" he sighed, one hand over his heart, "...Remy t'ink he be in ov'r 'is 'ead!" (6)

Chuckling, Cyclops, said, "Well, it's time to get going."

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Storm asked. "The Professor would love for you to enroll!"

Remy took another look at Rogue. "Dat be one temptin' offer..._mais non, desole._" he replied. "Remy kinda like 'avin some freedom jus' t' do 'is own t'ing, for de time bein'." He nodded to Superman. "'Sides, all dat Good-Samaritan, do-o'-die, death 'fore dishonor hero t'ing ain' for everyone."

Superman chuckled. "Well, that's a shame. You'd probably be pretty good at it." he said.

Remy shrugged. "_Peut-etre._" he admitted. "Maybe later, den. Remy's got a few t'ings dat he got t' 'andle 'fore he t'ink o' anyt'ing else."

"Well, it was nice working with you." Cyclops said. "Our door's always open."

"Be seein' y'." Remy replied. Turning to Rogue, he smiled, and added, "An' Remy _definitely_ hope he be seein' y' later, _cherie_."

Rogue's eyes narrowed. "Can Ah drain him? _Please_ tell meh Ah can drain him." she growled. Remy just laughed, and walked into the shadows, disappearing. Then, the rest of the X-Men – including Rogue – got on board the Blackbird, and the plane took off, with Superman flying beside it, heading home.

Once all the X-Men had returned to the Institute, along with Rogue, they had told Charles what had occurred. It had badly shaken him. '_So, it **was** her that I sensed there..._' he'd thought. After musing on what this meant, Charles decided to tell them.

Currently, Charles, Ororo, and Logan had gathered all the students in his office, once they'd had time to don their street clothes. "So, Professor," Scott began, "who _was_ that blue woman?"

Charles took a deep breath. "Raven Darkholme...A.K.A 'Mystique.'" he said. "She's arguably one of the most ruthless, most elusive, most _dangerous_ mutants I know of. Her ability enables her to shape-shift, to assume any form she so desires, for as _long_ as she desires...and she is perfectly willing to assume any form, use _any_ means necessary to achieve her goals."

"And she wanted ta scare meh away from joinin' ya." Rogue said. "Whah?"

"I do not know why, Rogue." Charles admitted. "I simply shudder to think what might have happened if Clark had not been present with his X-Ray vision to expose her." He looked to Clark. "Now that we know Mystique is out there, Clark, your abilities will be more vital than _ever_, for Mystique has the ability to elude telepathic probing – including _Cerebro – __completely_...which makes you the only one of us capable of exposing her."

Clark nodded. "There's more, isn't there, Professor?" he asked.

Charles sighed. "Although Mystique herself is a significant threat...what she _represents_ is more frightening, still." he said. "You see...Mystique is a known colleague...of _Magneto_."

"_Who_??" Jean asked.

"Erik Magnus Lensherr." Charles said. "He's one of the most powerful mutants in the _world_. His power gives him control over magnetic fields...making him the 'Master of Magnetism'." Charles closed his eyes. "He was my friend, and my trusted, and respected colleague. We once sought to help young mutants together."

"What happened?" Kitty asked.

Charles took a deep breath. "My philosophy is that mutants and humans can live together in harmony." he said. "But Erik...he believes that mutants are the next stage in evolution, and that humans will never accept us...and so, we must _force_ them to accept mutants. His philosophy states that humans are inferior...and _expendable_. He believes that a war is coming, between humans and mutants...and he intends to make sure that mutants _win_." Charles closed his eyes. "I tried to get him to see reason, that his way will only lead to pain, and suffering..." he whispered. "His philosophy...will all too easily lead to an anti-mutant backlash, where mutants will be hunted down...or _worse_."

"That's part of what you were afraid of with me, wasn't it?" Clark asked.

Sadly, Charles nodded. "Where Mystique is, Magneto is never far." he said. "I do not know what Erik is planning, but, for the sake of this world – human and mutant alike – he must _not_ succeed."

Scott was the first to speak. "We'll stop him, Professor." he said.

Clark nodded. "Whatever he's up to, it's _not_ going to happen." he agreed. All the others nodded in agreement.

Charles smiled. "Thank you all." he said softly. "I am honored to have each and every one of you – and all those yet to come – as my students." Smiling, he finished, "That's enough for now. You should all get some rest." With that, the X-Men all headed out of the office, leaving Charles alone with his thoughts.

Rogue was sitting on the balcony outside the second-floor window of the main hall, in her usual outfit, except now she wore black gloves. She sighed sadly to herself; her prognosis looked grim...

"Can't sleep?"

Turning, Rogue saw Clark – Superman – standing behind her, wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt, looking like anyone else.

Rogue shrugged. "Nah." she said. "Ah'm just thinkin' about everything that's happened."

Clark nodded. "It can be a lot to take in," he admitted, "but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

Rogue snorted. "_Doubt_ it." she said. "Ah heard what the Professor said 'bout mah powers; they're uncontrollable. Ah'll neva be able to touch anyone without killin' em."

"Then you _also_ heard that the Professor will do everything he can to help you _gain_ control." Clark parried.

Rogue turned an incredulous eye to Clark. "How the _hell_ do you _do_ that?"

Clark looked confused. "Do what?" he asked.

"_That_! Somehow find a way to make everything positive!" Rogue replied.

Clark just shrugged. "I don't know."

Rogue sighed. "No offence, Farm-Boy, but Ah don't see any reason to be positive 'bout mah powers." she said. "You just can't understand..."

"...because they're dangerous." Clark finished.

Rogue stopped. "_Excuse_ meh?"

Clark looked haunted. "You know these powers can be dangerous, that they could _hurt_ someone – possibly someone you love – if you're not careful." he said. He looked right at her. "Rogue, I've had _my_ powers ever since I was a _baby_. Ever since I was old enough to walk, I've been _terrified_ of hurting someone with them. I have that fear _now_, to this very day. I had to hold back, every single day of my life."

Rogue looked at him; he wasn't lying. "How did ya _deal_ with it?"

Clark sighed. "It's simple in theory, but in practice, it's a lot harder." he said. "You just go one day at a time, Rogue. It's hard, but it works."

Rogue half-smiled. "Thanks, Farm-Boy."

Clark smiled back. "Any time, Stripes." he replied. "Good-night." With that, he turned to go.

Rogue just smiled as he left. '_Ah can't believe Ah'm thinkin' this,_' she thought, '_but that man has ta be the best damn hope this whole planet's got._'

"_You lost Rogue._"

Mystique scowled as she spoke to Magneto on her phone. "Maybe I _wouldn't_ have lost her," she hissed, "if _someone_ had told me about that 'Superman'!! He _saw through me_, Lensherr! He just looked at me and he _knew_!!"

"_I was not aware of this._" Magneto replied. "_He saw through your shape-shifting?_"

"Yes." Mystique said bitterly. She had intended to infiltrate the Institute, perhaps even impersonate Xavier himself...but with that Superman's vision watching the Institute, it would be nigh _impossible_.

"_This is very troubling, Raven. Without Rogue, we have no way of countering his power._"

Mystique scoffed. "Even if we _had_ her, it would have made no difference. I saw him touch her – no effect whatsoever."

That actually _silenced_ Magneto. "_You're...certain?_"

"Absolutely."

"_I must confer with my associate, Raven. I will contact you later._" With that, Magneto hung up.

"Problems?"

Standing in the home of Destiny – her old friend, now in her late forties – Mystique sighed. "Irene, why didn't you _warn_ me?"

"Raven," Irene said gently, "I've been warning you for the past nineteen or twenty years."

"About _what_?!" Mystique snapped. "All you've been going on about is that...stupid..." her voice trailed off, as Irene smiled knowingly. "Wait...are you saying that...this 'Superman' is..?"

"...the Child of the Star." Irene finished. "Who else _could_ it be?" She sighed. "For the past twenty years or so, I've been getting bits and pieces of that prophecy. I knew that this Superman _had_ to be him...for when I first heard about him...the prophecy _finished_ itself, in my mind. I could see the entire thing."

Mystique was amazed. "What did it say?" she asked.

Destiny took a deep breath, and began to recite:

"'_All of you now, from near and from far,_

_mark well the Child that comes from the Star!_

_Great power he has, which no man can match,_

_the dark he will fight, and swiftly dispatch._

_Death will fall from the sky, with unquenchable fire,_

_but the Child will strive on, and shall never tire._

_Monsters shall rise, in a world full of hate,_

_yet the Child will bring light, to challenge this fate._

_Another will come, with might equal to he,_

_but he will still win, in ways we can't see._

_And all around him, mutantkind shall unite,_

_to drive back the dark, in a terrible fight._

_And hope shall be gone, as victory seems far,_

_but hope shall return, with the Child of the Star._'"

Her prophecy finished, Destiny said, "This was the first time I had ever heard such a prophecy."

Mystique was astounded. "So...Superman – the Child of the Star – is an _alien_?"

Destiny nodded.

"Does Magneto know about this?"

"Almost certainly." Destiny said. "I once told him part of it...the last few phrases, '_And all around him, mutantkind shall unite._' That certainly got him excited."

Mystique smiled. "I imagine it would have." she agreed.

"I'm certain that Magneto will actively try to recruit Superman in the near future." Destiny said.

Mystique frowned. "If that prophecy is true..."

"It _is_." Destiny said.

"...then Superman has a very important part to play in things to come." Mystique finished.

That fact did _not_ bode well with her.

Author's Note: Just in case none of you speak any French or German, I roughly translated some of the phrases Remy and Kurt used.

_(1): Very good, my friend._

_(2): …very beautiful, as always._

_(3): I am Remy LeBeau, but, to my friends, I am called Gambit._

_(4): Sorry, my friend._

_(5): Good day, Miss._

_(6): Beautiful, powerful, and proud…_

_If you already understand the phrases, just skip this note._


	7. Friends

CHAPTER SIX: FRIENDS

_Xavier Institute, October 24, 2006_

It was early morning below the Institute, as Rogue, Kitty, and Kurt, all in uniform, dragged themselves out of the Danger Room. Rogue had chosen a black bodysuit with a green plastic-reinforced chest-plate, with yellow boots and yellow gloves on her hands.

'_Oh, Gawd,_' Rogue thought, '_suddenly gettin' recruited by Mystique is startin' ta look pretty good by now._'

"_Mein Gott_," Kurt lamented, "zat session vas a _killer_...even my _tail_ hurts..."

"Why does Logan have these so _early_ in the morning?" Kitty wailed.

"And whah wasn't Clark with us?" Rogue said.

"Flyboy did his drills during the night." Logan said, walking up to them. "Not bad, you three, but I'm not doing cartwheels. I expect you to bring those times up. For now, go get breakfast." With that, he walked off, and the three young mutants left the training floor, to get ready for school.

Within the hour, the three had showered and changed into their regular clothes, and were sitting at the kitchen table for breakfast with the others...except Clark. "Where's Clark?" Kitty asked.

"He's working on a project in the hangar." Scott replied, sipping his orange juice.

"He's been working on it ever since he got back from his patrol." Jean added, munching on a piece of toast.

"Vat project?" Kurt inquired.

"All he said was that it was a 'family heirloom' that he was repairing." Ororo said, as she sat down.

Rogue arched an eyebrow. It was a fact – although an amazing one – that Clark was actually an alien; what kind of 'family heirloom' could he be fixing up?

After breakfast, Rogue headed up to her room – her_ and _Kitty's room, she corrected with a sigh. The Professor had decided to give her a roommate to help her adjust. '_More lahke drive meh nuts._' she thought. Kitty was a sweet girl, no argument there. Rogue's main beef was that she was so _different_ from her; Kitty listened to upbeat, 'girly-girl' type music...which drove Rogue nearly _insane_ when she was trying to listen to Evanescence. She chewed bubble-gum and read all sorts of 'teen magazines' and was always filling in the magazine quizzes...and always asking for _her_ opinion, most often when she was trying to read her latest Stephen King novel.

And, dear _God_, with her it was always 'Superman' this, and 'Superman' that. Clark _was_ a hero, Rogue admitted; he used his incredible power for the good of all humanity, while taking _zero_ credit for it. Rogue couldn't help but admire him.

But listening to someone go _on_ and _on_ about it...it got old _fast_.

As she was about to head out, Rogue saw Kitty and Kurt head in the opposite direction...towards the elevator to the underground floors. "Where are ya goin'?" Rogue asked.

"We're just going to see what Clark's working on!" Kitty said. "I bet it's _really_ cool!"

Rogue rolled her eyes. '_Shoulda known._' she thought."Did it eva occur to ya two that he might want some _privacy_?"

"Oh, come _on_, Rogue! Maybe we can help him!" Kitty said.

"Ja!" Kurt agreed. "Aren't you just a _little_ curious about vat he's vorking on?"

Rogue sighed. "You're goin' no matter what Ah say." she muttered.

Kitty and Kurt nodded. "Are you coming?" Kitty asked.

"_Fahne._" Rogue said. "But only ta keep ya both from pesterin' him ta death." With that, she followed the two to the elevator, and they took it down to the hangar floor.

"So, did you both hear?" Kitty asked. "Logan and Jean went on a recruiting mission, yesterday; they were gonna try to recruit some mutant with super-strength, or something." She sighed. "But Mystique _totally_ got to him first."

"Looks like zhe Brotherhood is trying to match Superman." Kurt said. "It's bad enough zat zhey transferred to Bayville High."

Kitty beamed. "Good _luck_!" she gushed.

Rogue rolled her eyes. '_Here we go..._'

"Superman's the strongest guy in the _world_!" Kitty squealed. "He can probably chew up and spit out that guy if Mystique and the Brotherhood send him after us!"

By then, the elevator had reached the hangar floor, and the three young mutants stepped out onto the metal floor. There, next to the Blackbird...was a fairly small, sleek, almost torpedo-shaped, silvery-metal craft, with powerful thrusters at its stern, and a cockpit that looked large enough to hold a single person...and it was _hovering_ there, of its own power.

And there, underneath it, with a silvery metallic box of glowing crystals and unrecognizable electronic tools just within his reach, was Clark, in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, tinkering with it.

Smiling, Kitty ran over, stopping a few inches away. "Hi, Clark!" she said.

"Hey, Kit." Clark replied, never stopping from his work.

"Ah'm sorry, Wonder-Boy. Ah _tried_ ta stop 'em." Rogue said.

"No problem, Rogue. I figured someone was going to get curious about my little project, sooner or later."

"_Vhoa_..." Kurt murmured, his blue face a lighter shade, "...is zat..?"

"Yep." Clark said. "This is the Trans-Warp ship that my father used to send me here. I'd been meaning to try and get it back into flying shape for a while, now."

"You _know_ how to repair it?" Kitty asked, amazed.

"I took a crash course from the Fortress' knowledge-chamber; I drop by there every once in a while." Clark replied, reaching for a small scanning-tool and a glowing gold crystal from his toolbox. "I also picked up the equipment I needed to fix it up."

Rogue blinked. "'The Fortress'??" she repeated.

"_Huh_??" Kitty said.

"Oh, sorry; I never told you guys about that, did I?" Clark said, pausing. "I was talking about my old hangout, the Fortress of Solitude. It was built from a nano-crystal that my father put in the ship, to teach me about where I came from. It contains all the knowledge of Krypton and all the worlds it had contact with; it was where I lived and trained for four years before the Professor found me."

Rogue smiled. '_A Fortress of Solitude...wish Ah had one._' she thought.

"So...vat exactly are you doing, now?" Kurt asked.

"Well..." Clark replied, taking the crystal and inserting it into a slot in a device inside the ship, the slot extending out to allow the crystal to be inserted, but remaining out as Clark inserted it, "...I'm currently inserting fresh Crystalloid Trans-Warp Cells into the ship's Trans-Warp drive, since the old ones were used up in the trip here. It was a ten-year trip."

"How far away was Krypton?" Kitty asked.

"Over two billion light-years." Clark said.

"_Whoa!!_"

"Yeah." Clark agreed, as he lightly began to turn the inserted crystal, checking the instrument as he did so. "My father designed the Trans-Warp drive to use seven Cells in series, one taking over as the previous one was used up, and automatically adjust power consumption as each cell was being used up. As a result, as I insert the Cells, I have to precisely calibrate each one before I completely insert it into the drive-core." Checking the instrument once more, he then tapped the crystal, and it fully inserted itself, beginning to glow even brighter. "I also plan to re-model the cockpit, as I've grown a bit since I last used it. As well, I hope to install an enhanced cooling system, to better bleed off the excess heat during reentry." he chuckled. "I'm hoping to have this baby ready to fly sometime close to spring break, with my university work and patrols."

"Wow..." Kitty murmured, "...well, good luck!"

"Thanks." Clark replied.

"Well, we'd better get goin'; Scott's waitin' for us." Rogue said. "Later, Wonder-Boy!"

Clark chuckled. "Later, Stripes!"

"_Auf wiedersehen_, Clark!" Kurt said.

Clark chuckled. "_Auf wiedersehen_." he replied. Then, the three headed out, letting their friend repair his spaceship.

_Bayville High School_

As the first class bell rang, 16-year-old Fred Dukes wandered the halls, looking for his classroom. Fred was _big_, he admitted. He was much taller than most other students, and he was fat – no sense in mincing words. He had light skin, brown eyes, and a mostly bald head with a dark blond mohawk. He wore his usual clothes: a light green, extra-large t-shirt under his extra-large jean overalls. Normally, the fact that he was so big would've bothered him...but not anymore.

He was a mutant, unlike most of these students. His weight gave him incredible strength, and a near-immovable mass. He also remembered that blue lady, Mystique – who was really the principal – mention something about a "uni-directional gravity field" that he generated, making him almost _impossible_ to move.

Something would have to hit him with more force than a _bazooka_ to budge him...and that fact, after so many years of being laughed at or made fun of, gave him some _pride_.

Still, he was having trouble finding his next class. He grabbed one student as he passed – a tall, blond-haired, green-eyed jock in a letterman jacket. "Hey, you." Fred said, gesturing to his schedule. "Where should I be?"

The jock smirked. "Try a freak show." he said.

Fred saw _red_. His face twisted in rage, his fists clenching. The minute he'd found out what he really was, he'd _sworn_ that _nobody_ would ever make fun of him _ever_ again.

With a loud roar, Fred shoved the guy against the lockers, sending him sprawling. He walked over and grabbed the row of lockers, about to topple them and _squash_ this jerk...

"_Stop_!!"

Fred stopped, looking up...and saw the most beautiful girl he'd ever _seen_. She had long red hair, and glittery green eyes. Fred momentarily forgot how to _breathe_. '_Wow._'

As the guy recovered, the girl looked at him. "Duncan, you'd better go get to class. I'll meet you later, okay?"

"Ugh...okay, Jean." the guy – Duncan – said, before walking off.

The girl – Jean – smiled. "I'm sorry about Duncan." she said. "He's not all that bad a guy, once you get to know him." She held out her hand. "Jean Grey."

"Fred Dukes." Fred replied. "Hey...are you...like me?"

Jean nodded. "I know we're not exactly on the same side," she said, "but that doesn't mean that we can't be friends, right?"

Fred blinked, and then smiled. "Sure." he replied.

"Your class is just down the hall, the first on the right." Jean said. "Later!" Then, she walked off.

'_Oh, yeah! Fred Dukes is the Big Man on Campus!_' Fred thought. Finally, things were going his way.

And they were going to _stay_ that way.

It was lunchtime at Bayville High, as Kitty sat down with Rogue and Kurt, with his image-inducer active. "Ugh...Ah think mah lunch just _moved_." Rogue muttered, looking at her tray.

"Yet another reason I'm glad I'm a vegetarian." Kitty said, taking out her salad and veggie-burger.

"Vhoa...is zat zhe guy zat Jean und Logan tried to recruit?" Kurt asked, pointing to a big guy in the lunch line.

"Yep." Kitty said. "I think Jean said she was going to talk to the guy, try to patch things over."

By then, the guy had loaded up his tray with sloppy joes, and was walking to a table...when he slipped, sending his tray flying...

...right into the lap of star-quarterback, Big Man on Campus Duncan Matthews.

'_Oh, this **so** will not end well._' Kitty thought.

His green eyes narrowing in cold fury, Duncan stood up and threw one of the sloppy joes back at the big guy. The guy managed to duck, and Duncan's throw hit someone else.

In seconds, a full-scale food-fight had broken out.

"Okay, I'm out of here!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Same here!" Rogue agreed. "Fuzzy?"

Making sure no-one was watching, Kurt 'ported himself and Rogue out of the cafeteria, while Kitty discreetly phased through the floor, into the empty girls' locker room below.

It was after school, as Jean was walking home with one of her friends, Taryn Fujioka. Taryn was a 16-year-old Japanese-American girl, and around the same height and frame as Jean was, with long, dark brown hair, dark eyes, wearing her usual short blue-green dress under her light blue button-up sweater. Like Jean, Taryn was one of the "popular" students; she was on the soccer team with Jean, and the two had a fair bit in common.

Jean inwardly sighed; today had been a heck of a day. First, she'd averted an angry Fred Dukes from pounding her boyfriend, Duncan. _Then_, several hours later, she'd had to calm him _again_ during that food-fight..._after_ Scott had almost turned his optic-blasts on Fred. They had been lucky that everyone had cleared out at that point; they had to watch themselves for near-misses like that.

'_Now I know how Clark feels._' Jean thought, remembering the several times that Superman had been partially photographed. '_I wonder if Superman has days like these._'

"So, Jean, did you hear? There was another Superman sighting!" Taryn almost squealed. "Someone in Japan almost got a full photo of him! My grandfather says that he's going to try to buy a copy of it for me!"

Jean had to suppress a smile; almost _all_ the girls at Bayville High were talking about Superman, now...with Taryn included. "Oh?" Jean asked. "Someone saw him?"

"Well, someone saw _something_ flying away from that sinking cruise ship off Japan's east coast." Taryn said. "But who else _could_ it be?"

Jean had to _fight_ to keep from smiling knowingly. "So...he saved everyone?" she asked.

"Totally! The ship's boiler had blown out, and it damaged its hull, causing it to take on water! The ship was so far out that no rescue vessel could reach it in time!" Taryn said. "Why won't he show himself, though?"

Jean shrugged. "Who knows?"

Just then, Jean saw Fred start to walk up to her. "Hey, Jean?" he asked. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Jean replied. She nodded to Taryn, who went on ahead. "What is it?"

"Can I show you something?" Fred asked.

"Okay." Jean agreed, and she began to follow Fred.

_Europe, a few miles off the coast of Latveria_

Superman was flying home at top speeds, heading back from a successful mission. He'd had to drop his repairs on the ship as he'd heard that airplane send out a distress call over China. He'd helped it to land and flown off without anyone seeing him, unlike that cruise-ship incident near Japan. These incidents were getting a bit more frequent, now...and it was starting to worry him.

Suddenly, Superman heard the tell-tale sound of engines blowing out...only this time, it wasn't due to simple mechanical failure.

This plane was being _shot_ down.

Instantly, Superman altered course, flying towards the falling craft at speeds over Mach Four. He found the craft crashing towards a small island, just off the coast of the country of Latveria. It wasn't a commercial craft...but a _military_ craft, with eagle insignias on the wings. Curious, Superman used his X-Ray vision to look inside...

His eyes widened in awe. '_No **way**._'

Instantly, Superman dove beneath the craft, helping it level off, to land safely on the sandy beach. As the ship touched down, he walked to the hatch, to greet its occupants...

"_Cap! We're hit! We're going down!_"

Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. gun-ship provided for their mission, Captain America, or "Cap", leader of the Avengers, tried to steer the dying craft into a stable landing. Cap was in his twenties, tall, and strongly built, his eyes blue, his blue cowl covering his short blond hair, as part of his blue, kevlar-reinforced battle-suit, with a white star across the chest, and red-and-white stripes just beneath the star, with a plain brown utility belt around his waist, with red gloves, black combat boots, and a circular, red-white-and-blue shield on his arm. Cap – then known as Steve Rogers – had been the world's first genetically-engineered "super-soldier" during World War II. He'd been frozen in the frigid Atlantic waters...only to have been thawed out by S.H.I.E.L.D. to lead the Avengers team over fifty years later.

"_Pym_!" Cap barked. "Get that engine back online!"

"No good, Cap!" Hank "Giant Man" Pym replied. Hank, in his early thirties, was tall and lean, his dark orange suit and goggles hiding his hair and eyes. Hank had the ability to grow to well over sixty feet tall, or shrink to less than the size of an ant.

"Cap, we're going to hit in less than a minute!" Janet "Wasp" Pym exclaimed. Janet was in her twenties, with short ebony hair, light skin and dark eyes clad, in black tight pants and a yellow-and-black striped sleeveless top. Janet, Hank's wife, had the ability to shrink to insect size, growing a pair of insect-wings, which enabled her to fly, as well as the ability to fire bio-electric "stings."

"Hold tight, people," Cap said, "this is gonna hurt..!"

Suddenly, the ship started to level off. "What the..?!" Giant Man exclaimed.

"We're...leveling off??" Wasp stammered, confused.

"Thor?" Cap asked, turning to face their fourth teammate. "Did you..?"

Thor Odinsson, who thought of himself as the Norse thunder-god – a claim that got harder and harder to dispute, the more Cap got to know the guy – shook his head. Thor was tall, even more so than Cap, and built like a tank, with long, blond hair, and a trim beard around his mouth. He wore a dark blue, mail-like vest with four silver circles reinforcing its front side, with black tight pants, and steel-toed boots, carrying a weapon that was a cross between an axe and a war-hammer – "Mjolnir," he called it. "Was not I, Captain." Thor boomed.

Then, the gun-ship landed, shakily but safely, on the beach. As the hatch opened, Cap and the other Avengers darted out, ready for whatever was waiting for them...but they got the surprise of their _lives_.

The gun-ship settled to the ground...as a young man, no older than nineteen, _set it down with his bare hands_, and then walked towards them, smiling pleasantly. He was tall, only a few inches shorter than Cap, and with an equally strong frame, maybe _stronger_, for his age. He had light skin, short black hair, slicked back with a few tufts arcing over his forehead, and piercing blue eyes. He wore a blue bodysuit with a red cape, red boots, a yellow belt, red tight shorts...and a stylized red 'S' in a red-outlined yellow diamond on the chest.

'_Wait...is this that 'Superman' that keeps popping up on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar every so often?_' Cap thought. Every now and then, their base radar would detect a blip at every major emergency, just before this 'Superman' was reported to save the day; this _had_ to be him. '_Good Lord...he's just a kid..._'

Finding his voice, Cap said, "Who are you?"

Superman smiled. "Just someone trying to follow your example, sir." he replied. "I figured you might need a lift."

"Well...thanks." Cap replied, lightly smiling. Then, to his teammates, he said, "Let's go, people – we have a job to do."

"Mind if I tag along?" Superman asked, surprising Cap. "Maybe I can help."

"Cap, you can't be _serious_!" Hank exclaimed. "Whoever this kid is, he's a _greenhorn_! We're not running a _babysitting_ service, here!"

"_Hank_!! He just saved our lives!" Janet scolded. Smiling, she said to Superman, "We'd be happy to have your help, Superman."

"Indeed!" Thor boomed, smiling. "Your powers appear impressive, young one! Not even some of my siblings could have accomplished the feats you have! Your assistance would be most welcome!"

At that, the other Avengers looked to Cap, the final decision resting with him. Superman also looked to him, waiting for a response.

Cap smiled. "I say we give the kid a chance."

"Captain..." Hank said, "...powers or not, he's just a kid..."

"So was _I_, back in the day." Cap countered. "Someone gave _me_ a chance." Grinning, he added, "Plus, Superman here has an even better record than _I_ did, when I was starting out!" To Superman, he finished, "We'd be happy to have you with us, son."

Superman grinned. "_Thank you, sir!_" he exclaimed.

"Okay, people: enough lollygagging." Cap said. "We move out." With that, the Avengers, plus Superman, headed further into the island.

The small band moved through the foliage of the island, stopping just as they saw a large clearing, with countless robot soldiers, numerous tanks, several anti-air batteries, and several fighter-craft. At the very end of the compound were twenty missile launch-pads, each one armed with a single missile. "So, what's the mission, Captain?" Superman asked.

"Our objective is to neutralize these missiles." Cap replied. "These are TX-372 'hot-impact' missiles, stolen from an R&D lab in Alaska. In addition to the explosive charges, their heads contain shells that, on impact, ignite a chemical reaction, superheating the heads to well over 1000 degrees."

"They could be used against armored targets..." Superman observed. "The heads would burn through armor...and explode _inside_ the target..."

"_Bingo_." Cap confirmed. "Unless we pull the plugs on those puppies, every armored building in the U.S. is going to be fair game for every terrorist that has one...and they're set to go on the market in less than an hour."

"Who's selling them?" Superman asked.

"We don't have conclusive proof," Cap said, "but if I had to guess, I'd say it's someone linked to _Doom_."

"Who??" Superman asked.

"Dr. Doom, born Victor van Damme." Giant Man explained. "The guy was the one funding Dr. Reed Richards and his team's quantum teleporter; the dumb bastard messed up the codes, mutilating himself and Richards' team. He's all living metal, now...but he's arguably the most dangerous man on the planet. He's in charge of Latveria, now; made himself king and turned its whole economy into a powerhouse practically _overnight_."

"Why would he steal the missiles?" Superman asked.

"_He_ probably didn't; not his style." Cap said. "But he probably bought 'em second-hand. Doom _has_ to be behind this little sale; he's too much of an ego-maniac to let anyone conduct business on or near his turf unless he's in on it."

"So, what's the plan?" Superman asked.

"Thor, you take out the fighters." Cap instructed. "Giant Man, you cover him by neutralizing those AA batteries. Wasp, while those robots are distracted with us, you get small and sabotage those missiles. Superman and I will handle the infantry." He looked thoughtful. "Now...how to handle those tanks..."

"Captain?" Superman asked. "I think I've got them covered." He started to inhale...

"Sure, kid; you're just gonna huff and puff and blow 'em down!" Giant Man sneered. "No offence, Cap, but this _has_ to be the stupidest idea you've _ever_..."

...and Superman exhaled, unleashing a gale-force wind strong enough to make Hurricane Rita look like a _breeze_. The gale-breath sent every tank flying, along with half the robot infantry, as well as confusing the AA batteries and fighters.

Giant Man's expression was almost _comical_. Wasp giggled. "You were saying, Hank?" she asked.

"_Go!!_" Cap ordered; instantly, the Avengers leapt into action. Thor flew into the air, and swung his hammer, sending surges of lightning blazing across the sky, knocking out two fighters in one blast. Giant Man instantly grew to over the size of a skyscraper, and began stomping on the AA batteries, taking advantage of their confusion. Wasp shrunk to insect size, and flew towards the missiles, her wings fluttering, unnoticed by the robots.

And Captain America, followed by Superman, charged into the fray.

Cap slammed one robot with his shield, before throwing it like a boomerang; the shield hit one robot, bounced off and hit another, then ricocheted off a third before returning to his hand. He then saw Superman's progress; the kid was doing just _fine_ – already, he'd taken out ten robots, and was currently freezing another ten with some kind of ice-breath.

By then, the robots had started firing back; Cap easily deflected their bullets with his shield...and bullets just _bounced off_ Superman, not hurting him at all. Superman's eyes started to glow, and he fired a deadly red beam from his eyes, instantly incinerating twenty robots. Cap shook off his amazement and threw his shield again, taking out ten robots of his own.

'_Damn,_' Cap thought, '_the kid sure gets **my** vote for Rookie of the Year!_'

"Wasp!" Cap called over his communicator. "Progress?"

"_I've got 18 missiles neutralized,_" Wasp reported, "_but it looks like Doom reconfigured these last two! I need to get big to shut them down!_" Cap then saw Wasp return to normal size, and began tinkering with the last two missiles.

By then, nearly all of the robots were nothing but scrap; the AA batteries were all gone, and the fighters were grounded. As Giant Man returned to normal size and Thor touched down, Cap and Superman stopped; all was well.

Suddenly, Cap saw one of the robots – who they'd assumed was offline – sit up, and take aim at Wasp. "_Janet, look out!!_" Cap yelled, racing towards the robot.

Too late.

The robot fired, before collapsing again. Janet gasped, as the bullet raced towards her...

...and into the waiting hand of Superman, who easily caught it, inches from Janet. "Wow...thanks." Wasp said.

Superman smiled. "Any time." he replied, dropping the now-harmless bullet.

Suddenly, those last two missiles started to lift off, shooting into the horizon...as the last robot launched them. Cap threw his shield, destroying it, but it was already too late.

"Those two...they were programmed to hit a naval base in New York...that's why they were reconfigured – for a demonstration." Wasp murmured.

"By Odin's beard...none of us can fly fast enough to catch them..." Thor muttered. "_Blast_ it!!"

Superman didn't look ready to give up. "Wasp," he asked, "how could you stop a missile in mid-flight?"

Wasp was confused. "Well...the power source is near the tip of the missile; destroy that, and the missile goes dead."

"Captain," Superman asked, "could you disarm a missile if I could get you on one?"

"Kid, give it a _rest_!" Giant Man said. "Those things are moving at Mach Two..."

"I've done well over _Five_." Superman said. "So, Captain, do you think you could handle that much g-force?"

"I'll _have_ to." Cap replied. "Let's go, son." With that, Superman lifted him up under his arms, and flew after the missiles, accelerating to Mach One, then Two...and then _Three_ and above.

In seconds, they had caught up to the missiles. Superman deposited Cap on one missile, before he flew over to land on the other. Cap pried open the panel near the tip of the missile, and scanned for the power source...and found a little black box, marked with an electrical symbol. He drove his shield down, severing the cables leading to and from the box; instantly, the missile went dead, its thrusters dying, the weapon starting to sink. Looking over, Cap saw that Superman had fired his eye-rays through the power-source, neutralizing the second missile. Superman then flew off, lifted Cap back up, and flew them both back to shore.

'_Damn, this kid's **good**!_' Cap thought, with a smile. '_Whoever he is, the Avengers could **use** guys like him!_'

After Superman and Captain America had landed, the Avengers had gathered near their crashed gun-ship, as Superman stood with them, to say goodbye once they'd radioed for a pick-up. "Thanks for your help, son. We couldn't have done it without you." Captain America said.

At the praise from his childhood idol, Superman smiled proudly. "Coming from you, sir, that means a lot." he replied.

"I _suppose_ you did okay." Giant Man grumbled.

Wasp nodded. "You were a great help to us, Superman!" she said.

"_Ha ha!_" Thor laughed, mightily clapping Superman on the back, which probably would have knocked over anyone else. "You have distinguished yourself in battle, my friend! I would be proud to fight alongside you, once more!"

Superman chuckled. "Thanks, Thor."

By then, Captain America had just gotten off the radio. "Well, our ride should be here fairly soon." he said. To Superman, he added, "Before we leave, there's just one thing I'm curious about, son. Why _did_ you want to help us? You could have just set us down and gone on your way."

Superman smiled sheepishly. "Because you're my hero, sir." he said. "When I was growing up, I looked up to you; _God_, for most of my childhood, I wanted to _be_ you! Even to this day, every time I'm facing a tough decision during an emergency, in the back of my head, I always ask myself, '_What would Captain America do?_' I just...wanted to help, Captain."

Captain America smiled. "My friends call me Cap, son." he replied. "For now, I have two pieces of advice. One: keep your head low and keep right on doing what you're doing. Two: when you're revealed to the public, come find us – we could _use_ a man like you on the Avengers."

Superman smiled. "I'd like to, Cap, but I'm going to have to decline. Part of me wants to join...but the rest thinks that I can do more good as an independent. Sorry, Cap."

Cap chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd say that; it was worth a try!"

Superman nodded...and at that point, his belt-communicator started beeping. Superman took it out and opened it. "Superman here."

"_Superman, it's Cyclops. Meet us just outside the construction site on the east side of Bayville; Jean's been kidnapped._"

"I'll be right there." Superman replied, before closing the communicator and putting it back. "Sorry, but I have to go; my friends need me."

Smiling, Wasp walked over to him. "Well, if you ever change your mind, our door's always open." she said. "And thanks for saving my life." And with that, she gave him a friendly peck on the cheek.

Giant Man scowled.

Smiling, Superman turned to go...

"Hold on."

Superman stopped at Cap's voice, turning around. "You've made some friends, today, Superman." Cap said. He took out a small, electronic device, and handed it to him. "In the future, if you or your friends _ever_ need us, you just take that communicator and give us a shout; we'll be there whenever you need us."

Smiling, Superman took the comm-unit, and clipped it to his belt. Then, he held out his hand. "It's been an honor, sir."

Smiling back, Cap shook his hand. "No, Superman, I'd have to say that the honor was ours." he replied.

"Take care!" Wasp said.

"Yeah, whatever. Later." Giant Man grumbled.

"May the blessings of Asgard be with you." Thor said, raising his hammer in salute.

Smiling, Superman waved goodbye to his new friends, and then took to the air, flying towards Bayville at top speeds, a sonic boom echoing after him.

His family needed his help.

When Jean came to, she had a _monster_ headache.

Looking around, she saw that she was inside an old wooden shed...and that she was tied to a chair.

The last thing she remembered was talking to Fred...he'd asked her on a date...and she'd told him she was seeing someone else.

A big mistake on her part, in retrospect.

Fred had _flipped_, and attacked her. She remembered using her TK to fight him off...until something had fallen on her – an old iron pipe, she guessed – and knocked her out. '_Professor?_' she telepathically called. '_I'm here._'

'_I know, Jean; I managed to locate you with Cerebro. The others are on their way._'

Just then, Fred – wearing dark green khaki pants, a white sleeveless t-shirt, and a matching green vest, came in...carrying a tablecloth, a vase with roses, and a few plates, with cutlery. "Dinner'll be here, soon." he promised.

Jean blinked, confused. "Dinner??"

"For our date!" Fred said, smiling.

"Fred..." Jean said, "I told you, I'm already with someone..."

"That Duncan jerk?!" Fred said. "He's a total _jackass_! You can do _way_ better!"

Jean sighed. "Fred, I'm _flattered_ that you've taken a shine to me. _Really_!" she said.

"I just...thought we could be friends..." Fred said.

"We _can_ be." Jean said. "But this isn't the way to go about it."

Just then, there was a noise outside...as Jean felt a familiar mental presence. '_Hang on, Jean!_' came Scott's mental call. '_We'll have you out of there in no time!_'

"Aw, _darn_ it!" Fred muttered, turning to go. "Hang on, I'll be right back." With that, he lumbered out of the shed.

After Fred had left, Jean spied one of the knives he'd left...and got an idea. With her telekinesis, she lifted up one of the knives, guided it behind her chair, and started cutting the ropes...

It didn't take Superman very long to reach the construction site. As he touched down, he saw the X-Van pull up, and Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Rogue, all in uniform, darted out. "Sorry I'm late." Superman said. "Had to help a few friends."

"No problem, big guy." Cyclops replied. "We'd better fan out, and find..."

"_Hey!!_"

Superman and the X-Men all turned to see a big guy come lumbering into view, looking angry. "I'm guessing that's our guy." Superman observed.

"Yep; Fred Dukes." Cyclops confirmed.

"I'm _trying_ to have a nice dinner-date, here!!" Fred shouted...and froze as he saw Superman. "Hey..." he added, pointing at Superman, "..._you're that Superman guy!_" He grinned. "That blue lady said that I might get a crack at you!"

"There's no need to get upset, friend." Superman said calmly. "We just want our friend back safely. So why not just let her go and we all go home, okay?"

"_Man!!_ Lance and Todd were _right_ about you! You _are_ a Boy Scout!" Fred sneered. "Well, _nobody_ beats the _Blob_, pal! I'm the strongest guy to ever come out of my state! Back in the rodeo show, I always _wanted_ to see which of us would win!" With that, he started to charge at them.

Cyclops instantly let fly with an optic-blast, knocking Fred – Blob – back a few feet...and then Blob dug in his heels, stopping. "_Ha_! Is that all you got?!" he taunted. "_Nothing_ hurts me! I'm _immovable_!"

_Bamf!_

"Zhen you should be too slow to catch me!" Nightcrawler laughed as he 'ported onto Blob's shoulder. Blob roared, and tried to grab Nightcrawler, but he leapt away, giving Blob a kick to his head, angering him further. Rogue tried to close on him after Nightcrawler's distraction, removing her gloves to drain him, but Blob swatted her aside, knocking her back.

"Okay," Shadowcat said, poking her head out of Blob's stomach as she phased through him, "I've just seen what you've been eating, and you _totally_ should have a _salad_! I mean, _ew_!" Roaring in fury, Blob grabbed Shadowcat's ankle as she phased out of him, lifting her off the ground, upside-down, causing her to shriek.

In less than a second, Superman darted to Blob, grabbing his arm and _flipping_ him, causing him to drop Shadowcat. As Blob recovered, Superman unleashed his super-breath, the gale-force winds sending Blob flying back a good twenty feet...but Blob got back up, and ran at Superman, unleashing a punch...

Almost effortlessly, Superman caught Blob's fist, his eyes narrowing. He lightly compressed Blob's fist in his grip, causing Blob to howl in pain, before twisting his arm into a _jujitsu_ lock, followed by a palm-down chop right to Blob's kidney-area. Most of the force was absorbed by Blob's layers of fat, but it was still more than enough to send him flying.

"What the..._that HURT!!_" Blob roared. "You _HURT ME!!_"

"You're the one who wanted to fight me, Blob." Superman replied. "There's a very old saying for times like this: _be careful what you wish for._"

Roaring in pure fury, Blob rushed at Superman again, fists flailing, but Superman easily evaded every single punch, before countering with a back-kick, sending Blob flying again...who promptly got back up. "Even the great Superman can't stop the Blob!" Blob crowed. "I can take _anything_ you dish out!"

Superman frowned; the level of power he was using was taking too long to wear Blob out, but he didn't want to use much more than he was using currently. The best way to defeat Blob was to get him into the air, but his gravity-field made that difficult. He had an idea, but he needed to use more force to do it...

Suddenly, a crate suddenly flew over to Blob and crashed onto his head.

Infuriated, Blob whirled around...and saw Jean, there. "_You said you were my friend!!_" Blob roared.

"I wanted to be, Fred." Jean said. "It didn't have to be this way."

"_You're just like everyone else!!!_" Blob roared bitterly. "_I HATE YOU!!_"

"Jean!" Superman called, getting an idea. "In five seconds, levitate everyone else five or six feet off the ground!!"

"Okay." Jean agreed. Instantly, Superman shot into the sky, over a hundred feet in the air...and _dove_ back down at supersonic speeds. Jean promptly levitated herself and the other X-Men off the ground, with only a confused Blob still on the ground...

Superman slammed the ground with his fist, creating a shockwave that would've made Avalanche _green_ with envy; the ground itself _rippled_ with the force of his blow.

'_For every action,_' Superman thought, '_there is an equal and opposite **reaction**!_'

The shockwave traveled to Blob, tossing him up into the air, overcoming his gravity-field easily. Like lightning, Superman shot into the air and slammed him with an aerial haymaker punch, sending him flying...as Superman flew _past_ Blob to deck him again with an uppercut.

For several seconds, Superman slammed Blob back and forth like a yo-yo, before he knocked him upwards...to accelerate above him and slam him with a double axe-handle strike, sending him streaking down to earth, _cratering_ it.

Slowly, a very dizzy Blob stumbled to his feet. Superman touched down. "Had enough?"

Blob shook off his daze, and _roared_ in anger. "You think you can hurt me?! _Nothing_ hurts me!! _I'm the Blob!!_"

"Ahem."

Blob turned around...and winced as a bare hand touched his arm.

"Old Blue and Bitchy neva told ya 'bout _mah_ power, did she?" Rogue hissed. "Mah power is _yer_ power, Lard-Butt!"

And with that, she grabbed his arm and tossed him up into the air. "All yers, Wonder-Boy!"

Instantly, Superman flew up to Blob as he fell...and _decked_ him.

**_WHAM!!!_**

Superman's punch echoed like _thunder_ as Blob went sailing off into the horizon, well out of sight. Superman then touched down. "Well, given Fred's ability to take damage, he'll be okay, except having a headache and a bruised ego."

Rogue nodded. "Nahce punch, Wonder-Boy." she chuckled.

"Not bad yourself, Stripes." Superman replied, smiling.

"Jean, are you okay?" Cyclops asked.

"I'm fine, Scott." Jean assured him, smiling. "I knew you'd come find me." She gave him a hug. "Thanks."

Scott smiled. "Don't mention it."

"Superman, that was _awesome_!!" Shadowcat gushed. "You _creamed_ him!!"

Superman just shrugged. "We _all_ did." he corrected. "I just wish I hadn't had to use that much force."

Kitty blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well...I've always tried to keep my power usage at a minimum." Superman admitted.

"How much do you _use_?" Kurt asked.

Superman smiled sheepishly. "Oh...maybe...ten percent?"

"_Whoa!!_" Kitty cried. "You mean, all your powers – the eye-rays, strength, speed, breath, everything – so far, you've only been using them at _ten percent power?!_"

Superman shrugged.

"He's not kidding!" Scott laughed. "Remember, Jean and I have _seen_ him in Danger Room sessions before you guys did!"

"If _anything_, he's _under-selling_ himself!" Jean added, laughing.

"Hopefully, I'll never _have_ to use full-power." Superman said softly.

"_Vhoa_." Kurt murmured. Then, the X-Men piled back into the X-Van, and drove off, as Superman took to the sky, flying home.

It was nighttime at the Institute, as Logan stepped out for a smoke. He had only just lit the cigar...

...when he _heard_ something.

Snarling, Logan tracked the sound to its source, just inside the gates...as a familiar scent caught his nose. He stopped. '_No freakin' way..._'

At that, the smiling, trench-coat-clad form of his old war pal Steve "Captain America" Rogers stepped into view. "Hey, there, Jim."

James Logan genuinely smiled as he hugged his old comrade-in-arms. "Steve, you old Boy Scout! So they _finally_ fished you out of the Atlantic!" he said. "Took 'em long enough!"

Steve nodded. "I hear you've got your hands full, helping Xavier with his students."

Logan chuckled. "So, Fury's still keepin' an eye on us 'non-normals,' huh?"

"You know the General; hope for the best, but expect the worst." Steve replied. "But you don't have anything to worry about from old Nick Fury, right now." He looked at Logan. "A few hours ago, on a mission, the Avengers and I had a bit of...help."

Logan chuckled. "So _that's_ where Flyboy got to."

Steve nodded, smiling. "That kid's got _potential_, James. He's likely the best thing that's ever _happened_ to this world." he said. "Fury wasn't thrilled to hear that he wanted to stay independent, but based on the kid's actions so far, he's not going to complain."

Logan smiled wryly. He knew Flyboy could make an impression, but hearing that he'd actually impressed old Iron-Pants Fury...that was a feat in _itself_.

"So," Steve said, grinning, "any spots where a couple of old soldiers can drink a toast to their comrades gone by?"

Laughing, Logan led his old friend out through the gates. "On old Fury's dime? I know _just_ the place."

In the hangar, Clark was hard at work on his ship; he'd opted to put in a few more hours before doing one last patrol, and then turning in...

"Need any help?"

Looking up, Clark saw Jean there, smiling. "Thanks for the rescue, today."

"Hey, it was a team effort." Clark said, smiling.

"I know, but I wanted to thank you, anyway." Jean replied. "So?"

Clark chuckled. "For starters, you could hand me that Trans-Warp cell – it's the glowing gold crystal, there."

Jean handed him the Cell. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, just pass me the Warp-Field Scanner; it's the hand-sized grey electronic tool with the view-screen."

Jean handed it to him. "This?"

"Yeah." Clark said, smiling at her as he took it. "Thanks!"

Jean smiled back. "Hey, what are friends for?"

_Author's Note: I hope you liked the Avengers' guest-appearance; you may see more of them in the future. I hope I've kept everyone in character, but my knowledge of the Avengers is a bit limited; I hope you don't hold it against me. Thanks for all the reviews! Y__ou guys are great!_


	8. In A New York Minute

CHAPTER SEVEN: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE

_Xavier Institute, November 17, 2006_

It was morning at the Institute, as Scott came down to breakfast, in his usual clothes. Everyone else was already up, except Clark, who had been out patrolling for most of the night. Scott picked up the cereal, and poured himself a bowl, sitting next to Jean. "Where's Clark?" Kitty inquired.

"Right here." Clark said, as he walked down, dressed in his "university" clothes: khaki pants, a long-sleeved grey shirt, and a vest over it, with glasses framing his face. He swiftly parted his hair down the middle, as he switched on his image-inducer, completing his disguise of a clumsy, nervous country-boy.

Rogue smiled. "Late night?"

"Oh, yeah." Clark replied. "Another plane experienced engine trouble over Australia, so I had to help it land. After _that_, I had to help at a coal-mine collapse; staying out of sight while digging escape tunnels was _not_ easy, let me tell you."

"Clark, don't you do anything for _fun_?" Jean asked. Chuckling, she added, "Scott has the same problem, so don't feel _too_ bad."

"Hey, I do _so_ know how to have fun!" Scott countered.

"Scott, a late-night Danger Room session is _not_ 'having fun'." Kitty said flatly.

"Sorry, guys, I know you're trying to help, but between my journalism degree, my repairing the ship, and my activities as Superman, there just isn't _time_ for fun." Clark said. "Speaking of which, I have to get going; as part of an essay, I have to observe at an actual newspaper, so I'll be heading out there for a couple of days."

"Okay." Scott said. "Good luck."

Clark promptly hurried up to his room to get his books, as Ororo came in. "Everyone, we may be having a new student, soon." she said, smiling.

"Who is it, _Frau_ Munroe?" Kurt inquired.

"My nephew, Evan Daniels." Ororo answered. "Evan's mutation causes excessive bone growth; he can grow bony spikes and shed them like spears."

"_Ouch_! That sounds _painful_!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Not at all!" Ororo said. "Evan will just be visiting us; he hasn't made up his mind, just yet."

Just then, Clark hurried down the stairs. "Morning, Storm." he greeted. "Anyway, I'll see you all later!" And with that, he was out the door.

"Hey, Auntie O!"

"Evan! Come in!" Ororo said, smiling. "Everyone, this is Evan."

At Ororo's call, a fairly tall 15-year-old African-American boy, of average frame walked in. He had dark eyes, and short, bleached-blond cru-cut-style hair under his skater's helmet. He wore a red-and-white vest, and dark green khaki pants, with a skateboard under his arm. "Hey." Evan greeted.

Scott stood up, smiling, and held out his hand. "Hey." he greeted. "I'm Scott Summers. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Evan replied, smiling. "So...you all have powers, too?" Everyone nodded. "Even that guy who just hurried out of here? What's _he_ do?"

Scott chuckled. "Evan, you wouldn't believe us even if we _told_ you."

_The Daily Bugle, New York City_

"_PARKER!_"

Sighing, 15-year-old Peter Parker turned and walked into his boss' office. Peter was fairly tall, and of an athletic build, which he hid under his clothes, with short, messy brown hair and blue eyes, clad in his usual t-shirt and blue jeans, his camera looped around his neck by its strap. He was a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle.

He was also Spider-Man, unbeknownst to his boss, thank goodness.

Peter had been bitten by a genetically altered spider during a field trip, which had endowed him with the proportionate strength and agility of a spider, as well as their ability to stick to walls, with a limited precognition – a "spider-sense" – which warned him of danger.

Walking into his boss' office, Peter – once again – swallowed his pride, and asked, "Yes, Mr. Jameson?"

J. Jonah Jameson, the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Bugle newspaper, glared crossly at him. Mr. Jameson – or "JJ" – was in his early fifties, tall, and lean, with short, greying brown hair, brown eyes, and a "Hitler-style" moustache, wearing a white button-up shirt and black pants. "Where are those pictures, Parker?!" he barked.

"Sorry, Mr. Jameson, but there haven't been any Spider-Man sightings, lately." Peter said truthfully; he hadn't taken any pictures of himself in action – placing his camera so he could snap photos with the time-delay flash – because there hadn't been any opportunities for him to stop crime. The only real crimes lately had been an unknown...who moved too fast to catch; every time Spider-Man reached the scene, the perp was long gone.

"'Spider-Man'? That wall-crawling menace is old news!" JJ said. "What I want are pictures of _Superman_! So far, no other paper has gotten so much as a snapshot of this guy! I can't get ahead with ineptness like yours, Parker! _You're fired!_"

"JJ?" came the voice of Robert "Robbie" Robertson as the Editor walked in. Robbie, a tall, calm, soft-spoken African-American man in his forties, with short brown hair, clad in a white button-up shirt and blue jeans, was Jameson's counterpart; cool where JJ was hot-tempered. "That student from Bayville University just arrived, the one who was doing a paper on newsroom activity. Shall I send him in?"

"Parker! You're unfired. Since you can't snap a shot of Superman, you can baby-sit...oh...what was his name again, Robbie?"

"Clark Kent." came another voice, as a nervous, clumsy-looking 19-year-old guy came in. He extended a hand to JJ. "A pleasure to meet you, sir!" he greeted.

"Right." JJ said. "You can babysit Kent, here. Now, get going!"

At that point, Peter, Robbie, and Clark all left the office, closing the door. "Sorry you had to see that." Robbie chuckled. He extended a hand to Clark. "Robbie Robertson, Editor. This is Peter Parker, our photographer."

"Probably closer to _former_ photographer." Peter quipped.

"Clark Kent." the guy – Clark – replied. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important..."

"Oh, _no_!" Robbie assured him. "It's just another day at the Daily Bugle! Anyway, I'll just let you and Peter get to work. Have a nice visit, Clark!" With that, Robbie headed off.

"So," Peter said, chuckling, "now that you've seen the scariest part of the newsroom – old JJ – where to next?"

Clark shrugged. "I don't know. You're the expert!"

Grinning, Peter was about to reply...when he felt a familiar buzzing at the back of his head; his spider-sense was going off. He walked to the window, scratching his head...where the buzzing intensified. Looking down, he saw a silver streak dash across the street.

The speed-demon perp he'd been tracking.

"Actually, Clark," Peter said, "I need to take a small break. You just head to the break room; I'll be back shortly." With that, he darted off, to find a place to secretly don his Spider-Man uniform.

Had he stuck around a few seconds longer, he might have seen Clark glance where he'd looked, his eyes momentarily gleaming electric-blue...and _narrowing_.

"Oh, man, I'm so good I _scare_ myself!"

Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff laughed to himself as he came to a stop in an abandoned back alley. Pietro was 15, fairly tall, and lean, with light skin, short, sleekly streamlined silver hair, and cerulean eyes, clad in a costume of his own design: an aqua-green bodysuit with silver chest armor and matching silver-colored boots.

Pietro was a mutant: he'd been blessed with super-speed since he was a little kid...and he'd just used that ability to rip off a convenience store _and_ ditch that Spider-Man slowpoke for the _third_ time this week!

"Nice work, kid."

"Why , thank yo..._AHHH! ZOMBIES!_" Pietro screamed as he turned to the owner of that deep voice.

The guy chuckled. "No, but you're pretty close, kid; I don't breathe." He was _big_, all muscle, with dead-white skin, bleached short hair, white eyes, and all pointy teeth, wearing a black t-shirt and black pants.

"Who...what are you?" Pietro stammered.

"The name's Lonnie Lincoln..." the guy said, "...but I prefer..._Tombstone_."

"'Tombstone'?" Pietro repeated. "Hey...don't you work for..?"

"The Kingpin? Sure do." Tombstone replied. "The Kingpin's been keeping an eye on you, Speedy. He wants to offer you a job."

"Sorry, but I'm in it for the rush." Pietro replied. "When you move as fast as me, you get bored _real_ fast. I gotta keep myself occupied!"

"Eh, you're probably right." Tombstone said, shrugging. "After all, the Kingpin only hires the best. If you feel you're not up to it, it's your call."

Pietro arched a silver eyebrow, his face taking a sly grin. "Well...sounds like a _challenge_!" he said. "In that case, Tombstone, I'm _in_!"

"Not so fast. First, we gotta see if you've got the right stuff." Tombstone said. "First, you've gotta pull one little job, and _then_ you're in."

"Fine." Pietro said. "Any..._insect_ problems?"

"Oh, don't worry about _that_." Tombstone said, grinning a toothy grin. "The Kingpin takes care of his people. As we speak...the Spider is being _exterminated_."

'_Aw, crap, what did I do to deserve this?_' Spider-Man thought as he leapt from one web-line to the next, swinging across New York at breakneck speeds.

Peter had donned his Spider-Man costume – a red-and-blue bodysuit with black web-patterns across it, with a face-mask with no mouth and wide, reflective "eyes", a black spider crest on the suit's chest – and had tried to chase after the speeding blip on his spider-sense...but the guy was just too _fast_.

And _now_, he was being chased by a half-dozen spherical robotic drones – "Spider-Seekers," hovering mini-weapons-platforms, created by the crime boss known only as the Kingpin...specifically for the purpose of exterminating him.

'_So...wonder what I did to tick off the Kingpin, __**this**__ time?_' Spider-Man thought, as he kicked off a building wall, changing direction, and then firing a line from his web-shooters beneath his gloves, evading the targeting beam of one of the Seekers. '_Damn, these drones aren't as dumb as the last ones; Kingpin's been tweaking the specs, again. This is gonna be close..._'

Spider-Man swung high, landing perfectly on top of a building, and turned, firing web-streams at the drones...coating only _three_ of them in webbing, blinding them...leaving the other three free to target him...

...and then a deadly red beam lanced from above, incinerating one of the Seekers, turning it into molten slag.

"Need any help?"

'_What the..?_' Spider-Man thought, as he turned...and froze. '_Holy crap...the dude's REAL!_'

There, hovering above Spider-Man, was a young man of 19, _huge_ in terms of height _and_ power, with black hair, and blue eyes, in a blue bodysuit, with tight red shorts, red boots, a yellow belt, a long, red cape, and a stylized red 'S' on his chest, inside a yellow diamond outlined in red.

At Superman's interference, the other Seekers turned, pausing momentarily, his presence causing them to re-evaluate the situation. Superman's eyes glowed red, as he unleashed another of his deadly eye-rays, in a sweeping motion that fried _all_ the Seekers without so much as _touching_ any of the buildings.

Superman then touched down next to Spider-Man. "Uh...thanks, big guy." Spider-Man said, gulping; Superman easily _towered_ over him, and looked strong enough to snap him in _half_. '_Oh, dear God, __**please**__ don't let him read Jameson's articles..._'

Superman just smiled. "Don't mention it, Spider-Man." he replied. "What exactly _were_ those?"

"Spider-Seekers." Spider-Man answered. "The latest development in spider-squashing technology, courtesy of our friend, the Kingpin."

"Kingpin?" Superman repeated. "Who's he?"

"Oh, just the guy who runs practically _all_ the dirty business in New York, and _then_ some." Spider-Man said.

"Is he behind the recent series of burglaries?" Superman inquired.

"Hm...actually, I don't think so. Kingpin's a _big_ player; this other guy's just going after chump-change." Spider-Man thought aloud. "The problem is, he moves too fast for me to catch him."

"Has he _recently_ done anything?" Superman asked.

"Yeah; he recently hit a convenience store. The police should be getting to the crime-scene fairly soon."

"We need to get there first." Superman said. "I think I have a hunch about this speedster. Lead the way."

"Sure thing!" Spider-Man said, as he leapt off the roof, shooting a web-line and swinging off. Up above, he saw Superman flying up in the clouds, out of sight. '_Okay, that is __**too**__ cool!_' Spider-Man thought.

Within minutes, Spider-Man landed silently behind the convenience store, with Superman touching down soundlessly next to him. As expected, the police had yet to arrive, since the store was currently closed. "So...what are we looking for?" Spider-Man inquired.

Superman's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room...before stopping, walking over to the counter. "_That_."

Spider-Man thought he could just _barely_ see a strand of silver hair, there. "You _saw_ that?"

Superman unclipped part of his belt, which expanded into a palm-top computer, and pointed it at the hair; the computer instantly passed a scanning beam across the hair. "_Genomic scan complete; sample DNA is X-Gene positive._" came the reply.

Superman tapped a few keys on the computer, and then spoke into it. "Professor, I've just sent you a mutant DNA sample found at a crime scene. Can you identify the mutant?"

"_Yes; the mutant is one Pietro Maximoff, a mutant with super-speed._" came the reply. "_Pietro's powers manifested at a very early age; as a result, he has a great deal of control over them._"

"Do you think you can convince him to join?" Superman asked.

"_Doubtful; he's Magneto's __**son**__._" the "Professor" answered. "_It is imperative that Pietro be apprehended, or else he may arouse suspicion of mutants everywhere._"

"Understood. Superman out." Superman said, and he shut off the comm-link, putting the computer back on his belt.

"Okay, so this 'Pietro' is our perp." Spider-Man said. "Any ideas?"

Superman was about to reply, when he paused, his eyes closing, as he _listened_. "As a matter of fact, I know where Pietro will strike next." He took out a piece of paper and a pen, and jotted down an address. "Meet me at this spot at 7:00 PM, tonight; Pietro will strike _here_...and my friends and I will be there to help catch him."

Spider-Man looked at the address. "You got it, big guy!"

"Good." Superman said, smiling. "I'll go inform my friends; we'll meet you tonight to discuss the plan." With that, Superman walked out the back door, and Spider-Man followed...in time to see Superman take off into the sky, flying off, a sonic boom echoing in his wake.

'_Whoa..._' Spider-Man thought, '_...Mary-Jane is __**never**__ gonna believe this..._'

It was afternoon in the Danger Room, and Cyclops and the other X-Men, in uniform, were overseeing Evan's training; after Superman had gotten word to them about Pietro, Evan had volunteered to help. Apparently, Pietro had gone to Evan's school, and the two were bitter rivals.

Currently, Evan – in a black bodysuit with yellow shoulder-pads emblazoned with 'X' insignias – was skating down a metal track on his skateboard. As Evan closed on several targets, he unleashed a cluster of bone-spikes with a wave of his arm; every single spike hit a target. As he skated down the track, he hopped over a gap, flipping his board, landing perfectly on the track, and then skated onto the floor, stopping on a dime.

Cyclops stopped the timer. "Nice." he commented.

"So, when are we going after Pietro?" Evan asked.

"We just need to wait until Clark gets back." Jean explained. "He has the details."

Evan chuckled. "So, what _does_ he do?" he asked.

Glancing behind Evan, Cyclops chuckled as Superman walked in. "Why not ask him, yourself?"

Promptly, Evan turned around...and his mouth dropped open in surprise. "You're...you're..." he stammered.

Superman smiled. "I know."

"But...you were...and now you're so..." Evan babbled.

"Image-inducer." Superman explained. "Nice to meet you, Evan." He held out his hand.

Slowly, Evan shook it. "L-Likewise." he stammered.

"So, Clark, what's the plan?" Shadowcat asked.

Superman smiled. "Okay, guys," he said, "this is what we're going to do..."

Night had fallen over New York City, as Quicksilver came to a stop outside his target. Apparently, this convenience store had refused the Kingpin's generous offer of "protection." The Kingpin wanted to make a little..._example_ out of it.

'_Jeez, you'd think the guy'd give me something __**hard**__._'Quicksilver thought. '_I can do this in three seconds flat!_' He started to walk towards the store...

"Doing some late-night shopping?"

Quicksilver leapt back as Spider-Man, hanging upside-down from a web-line, dropped in front of him. "You know, there's a convenience store a few blocks east of here – one with 24-hour service." Spider-Man quipped.

Quicksilver smirked. "So! You _finally_ caught up with me!" he sneered.

"Yep." Spider-Man said. "Brought a little back-up, too."

"_Huh?_" Quicksilver said...and then he heard a _whoosh_ of something coming to a stop behind him.

"Hi."

Turning, Quicksilver stopped dead in his tracks as he saw who it was. "Well, well, well..." he chuckled, "...I've _heard_ about _you_, Super-Geek. The name's Quicksilver, and I'm the fastest thing on the _planet_! I'd like to stay and chat with you losers, but I've got stuff to do! Later!" With that, he darted off at Mach Two. '_Ha! I just outran Superman! Won't Dad be surprised to hear about..._'

Suddenly, he heard a sound like a thunderclap...and then ran _right_ into Superman; the impact knocked Quicksilver flat on his butt, while Superman wasn't even phased. "You look a bit sluggish, friend. Did you just have a big meal? You should wait a while after eating before you exercise, you know."

'_What the..?!_' Quicksilver thought. '_NOBODY'S faster than __**me**__!_'

"Heads up, Speedy!" Spider-Man said, as he swung down, booting Pietro right in the rear, sending him sprawling.

Angered, Pietro got up. '_I'm outta here!_' he thought, as he took off in another direction...

Another sonic boom echoed out, and Quicksilver skidded to a stop...as he found himself face-to-face with Superman, _again_. Superman's arms were crossed, his eyes narrowed. "Enough games, Pietro; you were going to damage that store, just like you've been robbing all those other stores." he said.

"Yeah?! So what if I was?!" Quicksilver snapped. "What're _you_ gonna do about it?!" With that, he began to run circles around Superman, who just stayed there, un-phased. "You're not so tough!" Quicksilver sneered. He ran at Superman, to punch him...

Superman darted out of the way, moving _twice_ as fast as Quicksilver, causing Pietro to miss and fall flat on his face. As he got up, Quicksilver snarled, and saw Superman a few miles down the road. He raced after Superman, ready to deck him...

As Quicksilver got close, Superman darted off again, _way_ faster than Pietro had _ever_ moved, and was a few _more_ miles away. Quicksilver was getting the idea that he was being _toyed with_.

Seeing red, Quicksilver ran after Superman, who, once again, darted off at greater speed, taking a corner, this time. Infuriated, Quicksilver ran after him.

Seeing Quicksilver run after him, Superman chuckled; he'd taken the bait. As the mutant speedster ran towards him, Superman inhaled, and blew his freezing-breath on the ground between him and Quicksilver. Pietro saw what he was doing, and frantically tried to stop...

Too late.

Comically, Quicksilver slid right past Superman, to land ingloriously in a pile of trash cans. At that point, Spider-Man and the other six X-Men walked into view from their hiding spots. "You were right, Big Blue." Spider-Man quipped. "He bit on the bait like a big, dumb, bass."

Evan chuckled. "Same old Pietro."

"_Daniels?!_" Pietro yelled as he got back up. "What the heck are _you_ doing here?!"

"Kicking your _butt_, Maximoff!" Evan replied. "And the name's _Spyke_!" And he punctuated the sentence by firing a spike-salvo at Quicksilver.

Pietro instantly darted aside. "Well, 'Spyke' you sure aren't too _sharp_!" he mocked, as he started running around the entire group.

"Cyclops, I thought you said this training would pay off!" Spyke shouted.

"Training's just _one_ part, Spyke; _teamwork's_ another." Cyclops replied. "We just have to stick to Superman's plan! _Nightcrawler!_"

"_Jawohl!_" Nightcrawler agreed, and he 'ported himself into Pietro's path, tackled him, and then 'ported again, dropping him into the path of Cyclops' optic-blast, and then 'porting away, letting the blast send Pietro flying.

"_Jean! Grab him!_" Cyclops instructed. At once, Jean reached out with her TK, lifting Pietro off the ground. Pietro tried to run, his legs a blur...and then he smirked, whirling himself into a tornado.

Instantly, Superman darted towards Quicksilver, flying circles around him at top speeds, in the _opposite_ direction of Pietro's tornado-spin, de-spinning him, causing Pietro to land on the ground. Superman lightly inhaled, and then exhaled a fraction of his gale-breath, which was still more than enough to send Quicksilver flying. "Spider-Man, Spyke, Rogue, _NOW_!" Superman instructed.

Spider-Man instantly fired a huge glob of webbing at Quicksilver, while Rogue copied Evan's powers, and they both fired salvoes of spikes. The webbing started to spread out...and then the spikes stuck into it at the edges, fully spreading the webbing into a net, which covered Quicksilver, trapping him.

"Shadowcat, _now!_ Trap him!" Superman shouted. Shadowcat instantly zipped over to the trapped Quicksilver, and phased the spikes into the ground, completely trapping him.

"Let me go, ya morons!" Quicksilver yelled, trying to get loose.

"I don't think so, Speedy." Spider-Man quipped. "I made an extra-strong batch of webbing, just for you; you're not going _anywhere_."

"Not so fast _now_, are you?" Spyke laughed.

"Yeah?!" Quicksilver snapped. "Well, so _what_ if I'm stuck?!" He glared at Superman. "You can't prove a _thing_, Super-Dork!"

Superman smiled knowingly. "Don't be too sure." he said...as he reached to the back of his belt, and took out the tape-recorder he'd hid there.

He tapped a button, playing back Quicksilver's voice: "_Yeah?! So what if I was?! What're you gonna do about it?!_"

Quicksilver froze in horror...and then his face twisted in rage. "You're gonna regret this, Super-Geek!" he snarled.

Spider-Man chuckled. "A bad-guy swearing revenge; the sign of a hero's job well-done!" he laughed. "Congrats, Big Blue; you have officially _arrived_!"

Just then, police sirens began to sound; the cops were coming. After leaving the tape for the police to find, the X-Men darted out of sight, as Spider-Man shot a web-line and zipped away, and as Superman took to the sky, leaving Pietro to face justice...but not before he thought he saw someone in an alley, peering out from behind a wall.

A few blocks away, atop an old warehouse, Superman and the others met up again. "That was _classic_!" Spyke exclaimed. "You guys _rock_!"

Cyclops nodded, and then turned to Superman. "That was an excellent plan, Superman." he said. "You've got the makings of a real leader; you could be leading your _own_ team, one day!"

Superman chuckled. "Right; me, leading my own 'Hero Legion'!" he joked. "Good one!" Then, he looked concerned. "Spider-Man, before leaving Quicksilver, I thought I saw someone in an alley; it looked like he was watching us." he said.

"What'd he look like?" Spider-Man asked.

"It looked like he had...completely white skin." Superman answered.

"_Dead_ white?" Spider-Man asked.

"Yeah."

"Bleached hair? Pointy teeth? Built like a tank?"

"Yes." Superman said. "You know him?"

"_Tombstone_." Spider-Man said. "Yeah, I know him; he's the Kingpin's go-to-guy, his right-hand man."

Superman's eyes narrowed. "So...this Kingpin put Pietro up to this."

"I'd bet my web-shooters on it." Spider-Man replied. "But...how did you _see_ him? It must've been pitch-black in that alley!"

Superman just smiled, and tapped his temple, next to his eyes. "X-Ray vision." he explained.

Behind his mask, Spider-Man's eyes widened. "You...you can see through _walls_?" he murmured. "And..?"

"...masks?" Superman finished, smiling. "Well, I _could_, but I _won't_. I understand that you wear that mask for a reason, Spider-Man; I'll respect your privacy."

The X-Men nodded in agreement. Cyclops held out his hand. "You were a great help, Spider-Man; thanks."

Superman nodded. "You're a true hero, Spider-Man; don't let what Jameson says in the paper get you down."

Spider-Man shook Cyclops' hand. "Wow...nobody other than my girlfriend thinks that about me! _Thanks!_" Then, he turned to go. "Well, I've got to get going." To the X-Men, he added, "Nice meeting all of you!" To Superman, he finished, "Good luck, Big Blue!" With that, he shot a web-line, and swung off.

"I guess we'd better get back to the Institute." Cyclops said. "You coming, Superman?"

"In a minute." Superman said. He looked out to the alley, finding Tombstone's trail with his telescopic vision. "I need to take care of a few things, first..."

"You're _sure_ that it was this...'Superman' character?"

"_Absolutely_ sure, Mr. Fisk." Tombstone reported. "It was him, no doubt about it. You want me to track him down and size him up for one of my coffins?"

Sitting in his desk, within the high-tech office that was the hub of his empire, Wilson "The Kingpin" Fisk sat, deep in thought. Wilson was in his forties, and _very_ large, over 500 pounds; however, he was remarkably fit – only 2% of his weight was actual fat, the rest being muscle. His head was bald, his eyes a sharp green, and he was wearing his impeccable white business suit, his ornate cane resting beside his desk. Before, he'd had enough troubles with Spider-Man.

Now, there was this "Superman" to deal with.

"_Mr. Fisk?_" came the secretary's voice over the intercom.

Wilson flicked the intercom on. "Yes, Tina?"

"_Sir, I think you may want to check the monitor for Hallway Four. I'm getting an alert._"

Wilson promptly flicked on the monitor...and his eyes widened in surprise, as he saw the young man in the blue uniform, calmly walking down the corridor...the bullets from the automated defenses bouncing harmlessly off him.

"Actually, Mr. Lincoln...I think he'd prefer to come _here_."

At that, the ten-inch steel door protecting the office was effortlessly pried open, and Superman calmly walked in, his eyes narrowed, as he walked towards Fisk, his pace not slowing or quickening.

Wilson calmly poured himself a glass of wine, as Tombstone glowered at Superman...who ignored him, his sky-blue stare focused on Wilson. "Superman, I presume?" Fisk asked, his eyes never leaving the glass.

Silence. Superman stopped a few feet from the desk, his powerful-looking arms folding.

Fisk took that moment to fully appraise the young upstart. He smiled, raising his glass. "I like the outfit. Boots, cape...very classic."

More silence.

Wilson frowned. "Oh. The 'silent treatment,' is it?" he said. "Very well, then, Superman – may I call you Superman?"

Still more silence, Superman's stare not breaking for a _second_.

"Well, if you object, please say so." Wilson said, taking a sip from his glass. "I assume you wish to discuss tonight's..._incident_. I am sure you realize that you have no evidence; put simply, my young friend, you have _nothing_ on me."

No reaction.

"You, Superman, are an extraordinary individual, much like Spider-Man...though I believe that you are in quite a different category _altogether_." Wilson continued. "Regardless, like most extraordinary individuals, you are unaware of how things work here."

Nothing.

"The truth is, my friend...I _own_ New York." Wilson said. "My money feeds it, my will drives it, and over 75% of its citizens work for me in one way or another."

Superman's eyes narrowed, but he still did not respond.

The silence was starting to annoy Wilson. "My operations also occur on a..._global_ scale, to an extent." he said. Smiling, he added, "I am always on the lookout for...extraordinary individuals, like yourself." He gestured to the other chair at his desk. "Please, sit down, so we can discuss things."

Superman didn't move.

Wilson grinned. "A savvy negotiator; I can respect that." he said. He took out a stack of bills. "Half a million, up front, for your troubles, no strings, just for talking, with no promises needed."

No response.

Wilson's face twisted in fury. "_SAY SOMETHING!_" he roared, and he threw the bills at Superman.

Superman's eyes glowed red...as a deadly beam lanced from his eyes, incinerating the money...and searing the wall _inches from Wilson's head_. Wilson didn't move; that beam could have easily incinerated _him_. Superman had missed on _purpose_.

"That's your philosophy, isn't it, Fisk?" Superman said coldly. "If something gets in your way, you just throw money at it until it goes away, one way or another." His eyes narrowed. "I don't want _anything_ to do with _you_, your crooked organization, _or_ your dirty money."

Tombstone growled. "Don't you talk to the Kingpin that way, you little..!"

"Come, now, Mr. Lincoln; calm yourself." Wilson said, recomposing himself. "I insulted you; my apologies." he added. "_Everyone_ has a price, my friend." He extended his hands in a grand gesture. "_Name_ yours."

Superman glared at him. "_**I'm. Not. Interested.**_"

"Don't be foolish, boy." Wilson said, frowning. "You don't know what you're turning down. It's not _just_ money; there's _power_...and there's _respect_. And it can all be yours..."

"Get _real_, Fisk." Superman snapped. "Your 'power' doesn't interest me; I've got more in my _pinky finger_ than you have in your whole crooked organization. And as for respect..._that_ I've _got_. I've got _real_ friends, Fisk, ones that you can't _buy,_ either; they'd lay down their lives to help me, and I'd do the same for them in a _heartbeat_. That's _real_ respect." He shook his head. "You have _nothing_ that I want."

Fisk was visibly shaking with rage. "_Then why are you __**here**__?!_"

"My eyes can see through _walls_, Fisk, and my hearing lets me pick up _cell phone_ conversations." Superman said, as he walked right up to the desk. "And now I know what you look like, and what you _sound_ like." He pointed at Fisk. "I suggest you mind your P's and Q's, Fisk...because I'm _watching_ you."

And with that, he tapped a button on the desk, opening a skylight...and he promptly flew out, moving too fast to be seen, a sonic boom echoing as he flew.

"_You get back here, you little PUNK! I'm nowhere NEAR finished with you!_" Wilson roared...but Superman was long gone. Fisk was _boiling_, now...

"_Mr. Fisk?_" the secretary said over the intercom. "_There's a call for you...from Latveria._"

Quickly, Wilson recomposed himself, and put the call through.

"_Wilson Fisk._"

The image on the view-screen surprised Wilson _far_ more by the use of his real name. The man on the other end was tall, and composed of _living metal_, his face a metallic mask, with yellow eyes glaring out from narrowed eye-slits, the rest covered by a mouth-plate. The man wore a white-fur-trimmed green cloak, buckled on his left shoulder.

"Dr. Doom." Wilson greeted pleasantly. "What an honor! How can I help you?"

"_It has come to my attention that the being known as 'Superman' was seen in New York City...your 'turf,' I believe the expression is._" Doom said. "_I wish to discuss him._"

Wilson sighed. "Tragically, Doctor, I know little of him – no background, no known family, nothing."

"_I am not concerned with his history or family, Fisk; it is his ability that intrigues me._"

Wilson arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"_My reasons are my own, Fisk...but an associate of mine is also curious about this young man._"

Wilson nodded. "And what, precisely, is in it for me?"

"_The opportunity, Fisk, for future dealings._"

Wilson frowned. "I am sorry, Doctor," he said, "but I am a businessman; I require more..._concrete_ compensation."

"_Would you prefer I took my business to one of your competitors?_"

Wilson smiled. "You drive a hard bargain, Doctor; I like that in a client." he said. "So far, Superman appears capable of supersonic flight, as well as eye-beams, freezing breath, gale-force exhalations, invulnerability to weapons-fire, and strength and speed _well_ above that of most humans."

"_I see._" Doom replied. "_That will suffice._"

"You're sure that I can't know why?" Wilson asked.

"_I will say this, Fisk._" Doom replied. "_If driving a hard bargain is a mark of a businessman, recognizing opportunity is __**another**__._" And with that, the transmission ended.

'_So, Superman has even Doom concerned._' Wilson mused. He resumed his thought. '_I'll have to be wary with him around._' Until he found something on Superman, some way to hurt him, he would have to simply bide his time.

It was afternoon at the Institute, and the students had decided to make use of the heated outdoor pool, as the weather was fairly warm for November. All the students had donned swim-wear, and were either in the water or sitting alongside the pool. The Professor was sitting in his wheelchair, still in his usual clothes, while Ororo stood next to him, in her silver-colored swimsuit. Logan was just sitting in a lawn chair, calmly reading a newspaper.

Evan walked over to his aunt. "Auntie O, I've decided that I'd like to stay here." he said.

"Why, that's wonderful, Evan!" Ororo said, smiling warmly.

"You've made a wise choice, Evan." the Professor agreed. "I'm sure that we can help you achieve mastery over your powers."

"_Ew!_ Professor!" Kitty called from the pool. "Kurt's totally getting fur in the pool!"

"I am _not_!"

Evan chuckled. "Plus, with friends like these, I'd never be bored!" he joked. "Hey, CK!"

By then, Clark, in his disguise, came into the back yard. "Oh, hey, guys." he greeted, switching off his inducer and losing the part in his hair. "I think I've got enough to do my paper; I was going to work on it a bit before working on the ship and going on patrol."

"Clark, come _on_!" Kitty exclaimed. "Even _heroes_ deserve a _break_!"

"_Ja_, man!" Kurt agreed.

"Even _I'd_ take a break, Clark." Scott said.

Clark hesitated. "I don't know..."

"Is the mighty Man of Steel _afraid_ to have fun?" Evan joked.

Clark paused. "'_The Man of Steel?_'" he repeated. "Who came up with _that_?"

"It's another name that people are calling you, Clark." Kitty said. "I think it's _cool_!"

Evan arched an eyebrow. "So, Man of Steel, _are_ you afraid to have fun?"

Clark blinked...and then grinned. "Be right back." With that, he darted into the Institute...and darted back out seconds later in black swim shorts. He leapt over twenty feet into the air, and curled into a ball-shape.

"_CANNONBALL!_"

The splash sent a huge wave of water shooting up from the pool. Logan calmly looked up from his newspaper...and then looked back down as the wave hit.

Clark's cannonball had blasted Kurt and Kitty into the branches of a nearby tree, and _soaked_ everyone else. Clark peered out from the pool, looking at everyone's expressions.

"_Whoops..._"

At that, Kitty burst out laughing...followed by Kurt...then Scott...and then everyone _else_. Before long, Clark was laughing, too.

"Oh, yeah," Evan said, laughing, "I'm gonna like it here!"


	9. Christmas With the XMen

_Author's Note: Sorry about the delay! I've been busy with research. Since Rogue's already with the X-Men, the episode "Turn of the Rogue" never happened in my storyline. Instead, I decided to give our heroes a little break from the action. And, since Christmas is approaching and I was in a holiday mood, I decided to write this chapter. I know it's a little early for the holidays, but I just felt like doing something for Christmas. And one of the scenes was inspired by Mord-Sith-Rahl; thanks! I hope you all like it! Happy Holidays!_

CHAPTER EIGHT: CHRISTMAS WITH THE X-MEN

_Bayville, December 24, 2006_

It was Christmas Eve, and all of Bayville was covered in an idyllic blanket of white, the Christmas snow now gleaming orange as the sun began to set.

In the back yard of one house, 8-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Madison, in her snow-suit, her pink wool cap covering her brown hair, was crying her eyes out, her green eyes red from her wailing, as her new kitten, Mittens, was stuck up in their old tree, meowing for her owner to get her down.

"What's wrong, honey?"

Becky didn't recognize the voice, but she was too upset to care. "_My kitten won't come down!!_" she wailed.

"Your kitten won't come down?" the guy asked. "Don't worry; I'll have her down in a second."

Out of the corner of her eye, Becky saw a flash of red dart up to the highest branches of the tree. She stopped crying, and strained to see...and could only really see the guy's red boots in the light of the sunset. "Santa?" she asked.

The guy chuckled. "No, sweetie, I'm not Santa Claus." he replied. Slowly, he floated down to the ground, touching down noiselessly. Now Becky could clearly see the big, red 'S' on his uniform.

"_Superman?_" Becky murmured.

Superman nodded, and handed the little Calico kitten to her. "Hey, don't tell anyone you saw me, okay?" he whispered.

Becky smiled, and took Mittens in her arms. "Okay." she promised. Superman smiled back, and then took off into the sky, becoming a tiny red dot on the horizon in less than two seconds. Setting Mittens down, Becky resumed her play in the snow, with Mittens chasing after her.

_Xavier Institute_

As the sun was setting, Kitty, Kurt, and Evan had sat down on the couch in the living room, watching the Jim Carrey version of "How the Grinch stole Christmas." Even though Kitty was Jewish, and thus didn't celebrate Christmas, she loved the movie, especially the scenes when little Cindy Lou-Who was trying to convert the Grinch from his mean, Grinchy ways.

Things had been fairly quiet, recently. There were _four_ members of the Brotherhood, now, as Pietro had been bailed out of jail, the charges against him mysteriously dropped. The Brotherhood hadn't been making any trouble, lately; Kitty guessed that they were taking a break for the holidays. She had opted to spend a few days with her friends here, before flying back to Northbrook to spend the rest of Hanukkah with her parents. She figured that she could always ask Logan to fly her there with the Blackbird, or ask Clark to give her a lift.

Kitty smiled to herself, as thoughts of Clark reminded her of her little plan. '_Super-speed or not, Clark, I am **so** catching you under the mistletoe!_' she thought. Then, as the movie cut to a commercial break, Kitty stepped out, to get a drink.

Coming into the kitchen, Kitty found Rogue there, as well. "Hey, Rogue, any word from Clark?" she asked.

"Ah heard the Professor talkin' to him a few minutes ago on his communicator." Rogue replied. "He said he was gonna do one last patrol before he called it a night. Whah?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what time I should have the mistletoe ready." Kitty said, smiling.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Oh, _Gawd_..." she muttered.

"_What?_" Kitty asked. "Rogue, can you _blame_ me for crushing on him?"

"Ya can crush on whoever ya lahke, Kitty." Rogue replied. "Just ask yerself one thing – who are ya more interested in kissing? Clark or Superman?" By then, the commercials had ended, so Rogue headed out to the living room, having nothing better to do, leaving Kitty with her thoughts.

Rogue's words made her _really_ stop and think. Was it _really_ Clark that she had wanted to kiss, or was it the idea of Superman that she was infatuated with?

Truthfully, both Clark and Superman were _incredibly_ similar – which made sense, as they were one and the same. If Kitty had to come up with her own definition of "the perfect guy," Clark would fit the description to the _letter_. He had the looks and the physique of a Greek _god_, with an athletic ability to _match_, as well as the intelligence of a scientific _genius_, the manners of a perfect _gentleman_, the heart of a dreamer, and the soul of a _paladin_. Furthermore, he went out every night to help people while taking no credit _whatsoever_ for his deeds. '_How on **Earth** has he stayed single?_' Kitty asked herself, smiling.

But did she have any _real_ feelings for him?

Kitty sighed. She had to talk to him, to sort this out once and for all.

It was a few minutes after sunset when Clark returned to the Institute, darting into his room to change out of his uniform and back into his regular clothes. He walked down the stairs into the main hall, the entire Institute in full holiday regalia, with a shiny new _menorah_ on the main table; it was for Kitty, who celebrated Hanukkah. He headed into the kitchen, to get a drink...

"Clark?"

Turning around, Clark saw Kitty there, smiling nervously. "Can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Sure, Kit." Clark replied. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_." Kitty said. "I just wanted to clear something up."

"Okay."

Kitty took a deep breath. "Clark..." she began, lightly blushing, "...for the longest time, I have had a _huge_ crush on you. Tonight, I was going to catch you under the mistletoe."

Clark happened to look up; sure enough, there was mistletoe right above his head. "Well, you sure caught me." he said.

Kitty's blush intensified. "I've wanted to be your girlfriend for quite a while." she admitted. "I'd planned to kiss you under the mistletoe and 'seal the deal'..."

Clark gulped. He liked Kitty as a friend, but nothing _more_ than that; as much as he hated to hurt her feelings, he had to nip this in the bud. "Kitty..."

"...but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I felt was _only_ a crush." Kitty finished. "Don't get me wrong, Clark; you're, like, the _perfect_ guy...but I just don't feel any 'fireworks' when I picture myself with you." Her smile turned sheepish. "I want us to be _friends_; is that okay?"

Clark smiled. "_Sure_."

"Great!" Kitty exclaimed. "And don't worry; I'm still your biggest fan – I'm not tearing up my Superman Fan-Club membership card, anytime soon!"

Clark groaned. "_Why_ is everyone making such a big deal about me?" he lamented.

Kitty smiled. "Because of what you do!" she said. "Clark, you have more power than every armed force on the planet _combined_, and look at what you do with it! You use that power to _help_ people, and take absolutely _no_ credit for it!" Her smile grew. "Clark, you're not just a hero...you're a _superhero_."

Clark smiled. "Thanks, Kitty."

"Don't mention it." Kitty said. Smiling, she stood up on her toes, and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. "Happy Holidays, Clark." she whispered. Then, smiling, she left.

Clark then heard a soft chuckle, and he turned to see Rogue there. "Looks lahke ya got dumped." she joked.

Clark grinned. "I think she let me down pretty easy." he replied.

"So," Rogue asked, "any plans?"

"I just need to take care of a few things before tomorrow comes." Clark said. "I was going to check in with the Professor before I headed out. After that, I was going to spend Christmas here." Then, he asked, "How about you?"

Rogue sighed. "Ah was gonna stay here, too." she said. "Ah've got nowhere else ta go; Ah neva knew mah real parents – the closet thing Ah have to a mom was Irene Adler. She was nahce enough, sure, but..."

"...there's still a gap in your life." Clark finished. "One that only your birth parents could have filled, no matter how wonderful the parents you have are."

Rogue looked at him. "Is that...how _you_ feel?"

Clark nodded. "Even after I heard my father's voice in the Fortress' computer records, I still felt that gap; I never knew him...and I never will."

The two looked at each other, a kinship of mutual loneliness formed. They glanced up at the mistletoe, and then just inched closer...

The kiss was completely innocent, lasting only a few seconds, never escalating into passion. Afterwards, they just looked at each other; nothing had changed.

Clark blinked a few times; he hadn't felt anything – no 'fireworks', no 'music'..._zip_. "Did...you feel anything?" he asked Rogue.

"No." Rogue answered, blinking in turn. "Did _you_?"

Clark shook his head. "Nope. Sorry."

Rogue sighed. "_Figures_." she muttered. "The one guy Ah _can_ kiss without killin' him _has_ ta turn out ta be the one guy Ah don't _want_ ta kiss." She looked at him apologetically. "No offense."

"None taken." Clark replied. Smiling, he added, "My Ma always said, '_There's someone for everyone_.' I guess you still have to find your 'someone'."

Rogue groaned. "Oh, _Gawd_...Ah swear, if mah 'someone' turns out ta be that smooth-talkin' Swamp-Rat, _please_ just fry meh with yer eye-rays!"

Clark laughed. "I hope you don't _mean_ that!" he exclaimed. "Who knows? He might turn out to be your type!"

"Don't even _joke_ about that, Wonder-Boy!" Rogue laughed, playfully swatting his shoulder, not hard enough to hurt her hand on his invulnerable frame. "So, what kind of girl _is_ Superman's tahpe? The female population of Bayville High wants ta know!"

Clark laughed. "I'll tell you when _I_ figure that out."

Rogue chuckled. "Well, ta impress _you_, she'll have ta be out of this _world_!" she said. "The girl that can catch _Superman's_ eye must be _dazzlin'_!"

Clark chuckled...and then froze, as his hearing picked something up: there was an airplane in distress over Ontario, caught in a blizzard – somehow, its navigational computer had gone offline due to electromagnetic interference.

Rogue must have noticed his expression. "Looks lahke a hero's job is neva done."

Clark shrugged. "Guess not." he replied. "Later." With that, he bolted off, picking up his uniform and changing, flying out the nearest window in two seconds.

It hadn't taken Superman too long to guide the airplane down safely; the blizzard made great cover, allowing him to fly off completely undetected. Once he was a safe distance from the Toronto Airport, where he'd set the plane down, the contacted Professor Xavier with his belt-communicator, and explained his idea to him; the Professor had smiled, and agreed. Superman then shut off the comm-link, and flew north..._far_ north.

The Fortress of Solitude had not changed; it was still the gleaming, impressive crystalline stronghold it had been when Superman had left it. He had dropped by the Fortress every so often, for training, and to brush up on his lessons from the knowledge chamber.

Superman stood before the massive crystalline doors, before the four crystal orbs that composed part of the high-tech lock on the Fortress. Each of those orbs – when struck by his eye-rays – emitted a distinct sound. Just above the door itself was a sequence of seven characters in the Kryptonian language – a sequence that changed every time the door was unlocked – that corresponded to characters on the orbs...and these characters were only visible to one capable of seeing in infrared.

Superman's eyes glowed red, as he fired pencil-thin eye-rays at the first, third, fourth, first, second, fourth, and third orbs, completing the sequence. The instant the last tone faded, the central circle in the door began to glow. Superman walked over and touched it; instantly, three holographic discs came out of the circle, which had to be aligned just _so_ – the second part of the lock. Superman turned the discs until the Kryptonian characters lined up perfectly, and then pushed the discs back into the circle.

Instantly, the glowing crest of the House of El appeared in the circle, and then the crystal doors became glowing blue energy, with only the circle – the lock – still solid. Superman simply walked through the energy, as it re-solidified once he was through, the lock automatically re-randomizing itself.

As he walked through the Fortress, Superman looked about the place that had been his home. The Fortress was so unlike the Institute; its technology was infinitely more advanced than anything on Earth, and was a repository of knowledge greater than any other on the planet...

...but it was so lonely.

In his four years here, Kal-El had not minded the solitude. He had been grieving over the loss of his father; the solitude had given him time to think, to truly define himself...and learn what he could do.

But now...the loneliness bothered Clark.

'_This could have been my life._' Clark thought, looking sadly around the Fortress. He had been ready to go, that day, when the Professor had located him. If he had left any sooner...he would have missed them entirely.

It had been one of Jor-El's first lessons: "_My son, you must always remember this: though you live among them, you are not one of them. This is likely the hardest truth you will have to face, in your life on Earth, Kal-El._" That lesson had made the solitude here so much easier to face; despite his family's love, he was alone on the Earth, and he always would be. No matter where he went, who he knew, who he _loved_...there would always be that distance between them; even before, as a child, his 'difference' bade him to keep so much of himself back from his friends, even his childhood crush, Lana Lang. That had made it all too clear: he could never find love on this world, for he could never share this secret with any human woman.

But, during his time at the Institute...he hadn't felt that way even _once_. They were different, too. He hadn't ever had to conceal his heritage from them. For the first time in his life...he could be _himself_; he had been _accepted_, for all that he was, Last Son or not.

'_I guess even Kryptonian scientists make mistakes, Father._' Clark thought, smiling. Then, his silent musing complete, he headed for the Fortress' workshop...to get the presents he'd made for his family.

_Xavier Institute, December 25, 2006_

It was mid-morning Christmas day at the Institute, and everyone had gotten up late, including the instructors. The entire Institute family – excluding Clark, who was mysteriously absent at the time – had gathered around the Christmas tree, even Kitty, as they had decided to celebrate a hybrid-holiday of Christmas and Hanukkah.

Everyone had started to open their presents, when Kitty noticed it first. "Where's Clark?"

"Right here."

Everyone turned to see Clark, in his normal clothes, walk out of the kitchen. "I had to go get your presents, last night." he explained. "Sorry if I worried you."

At that point, everyone noticed the nine identical, flat, silver-metal boxes – all addressed "From Clark" – around the tree. Everyone took the boxes addressed to them, and opened them.

Each box contained a crystalline medallion, with a simple black cord, and each was different. Scott's medallion was that of four arrows, all in a circling pattern before returning to one point.

Jean's depicted a single eye.

Kurt's depicted two people shaking hands.

Kitty's was a symbol that reminded her of a musical note.

Rogue's looked like a person praying.

Evan's was that of two people talking.

Ororo's depicted one person giving something to another.

Logan's was that of one person preparing for battle.

And Xavier's showed a single person meditating.

Everyone looked at their gifts. "These are really nice, Clark; thanks!" Jean said, smiling. "I've never seen anything like these."

"And you probably won't, anywhere else." Clark said. "You see, those pendants depict the nine virtues of the various Kryptonian philosophies; there were several philosophies on Krypton, but they all had these nine in common, and believed them all necessary to live well."

He turned to Scott, gesturing to his medallion. "_La'Neth: Loyalty_." he explained. At that, Scott smiled.

He gestured to Jean's medallion. "_Shir'Niu: Sincerity_." Jean smiled at the explanation.

He turned to Kurt. "_Fre'Mos: Friendship_." Kurt grinned.

He gestured to Kitty. "_Jir'Na: Joy_." Kitty beamed.

He turned to Rogue. "_Hi'Ma: Hope_." Rogue lightly smiled.

He gestured to Evan. "_Ha'Re: Honesty_." Evan smiled.

He then turned to Ororo. "_Ki'Du: Kindness_." At that, Ororo smiled warmly.

Turning to Logan, Clark said, "_Ku'Re: Courage_." Logan just gave his usual half-smile.

Turning to Xavier, Clark smiled, and finished, "And _Va'Rek: Wisdom_." Xavier smiled at that.

"Wow...thanks." Scott murmured, as the others gave similar thanks.

"Our own little piece of Krypton..." Jean said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Now our gifts to _you_ probably seem lame..." Evan murmured.

Clark chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that; you've all given me the best gift _already_." he said. He took a deep breath. "During my four years in the Fortress, one of the lessons my father left for me was '_Though you live among them, you are not one of them._' All my life, I've had to hide who I really was, what I could do, even before learning where I came from." He looked at them all, smiling. "But with all of you, I never felt that. I've never felt out-of-place around all of you. You've all given me something I had long given up on ever getting: _acceptance_." His smile grew. "_Thank you_."

Everyone was silent for a few moments...and then Kitty ran forward, hugging him. "You're welcome!" she exclaimed.

Scott smiled. "That's what families do, Clark."

Jean nodded. "You're one of us, Clark."

Rogue chuckled. "Like it or not, Wonder-Boy, you're _stuck_ with us."

Kurt grinned. "_Ve're_ zhe lucky ones! Ve get to hang out vith a _superhero_!"

Evan nodded. "Hey, with some of the stuff going these days, we're likely gonna _need_ you, CK!" he said, grinning.

Clark chuckled. "Thank you all." he said. "Now, for my _last_ gift, to _all_ of you."

Kitty's eyes widened. "There's _more_??"

Clark nodded. "While I was at the Fortress, finishing up those medallions, Professor Xavier and Logan were picking up a very special guest."

"Who?" Rogue asked.

Professor Xavier smiled knowingly. "Why not come see for yourself?" With that, he began to roll his wheelchair towards the dining room, and everyone else followed.

When they reached the dining room, everyone – save Clark, Xavier, Logan, and Ororo – were astounded...as they gazed upon the culinary masterpieces resting upon the table. Lying upon the dining room table was the kind of Christmas/Hanukkah dinner that could have only been put together by a master chef. And then, from a side door leading to the kitchen, Martha Kent stepped out. "Have cooking utensils, will travel." she said, smiling.

"Everyone," Clark said, smiling, "for those of you who don't know, this is my Mom, Martha Kent."

"It's nice to meet all of you." Martha said. "Oh, and Kitty, you'll be glad to know that this meal is kosher, and that vegetarian dishes have been prepared."

"_Wow_." Jean murmured.

"I had no idea that _any_ kitchen could do this!" Ororo admitted, smiling.

Martha just smiled. "Well, grab a plate and dig in, everyone!" she said. At that, everyone proceeded to do just that.

As usual, Ma Kent's Christmas dinner had been a smashing success. Clark couldn't help but smile as he heard his friends singing the praises of his Ma's cooking.

The Christmas turkey had been a huge hit: even the ever-stoic Logan had a kind word for the main course. Kitty had _loved_ the vegetarian dishes his Ma had whipped up. And _everyone_ – even the _Professor_ – hadn't been able to stop talking about Martha's soy-milk Christmas fudge.

After the meal – and the dishes had been cleared away – Clark and his Ma had just sat down for a little chat. "You've been busy, Clark." Martha said.

Clark nodded. "The world's a big place – lots of people to help."

Martha smiled. "You seem more at peace." she said. "I'm glad."

Clark smiled. "I've found my place, Ma." he replied. He looked to his friends, around the room. Chuckling, he added, "As crazy as it can get around here, I wouldn't change a thing!"

Martha smiled, and then looked worried. "While you were out, Professor Xavier told me about this...'Magneto' person." she said softly. "Clark...you'll be careful, won't you?"

"Of course, Ma." Clark assured her.

"Hey, CK!" Evan called, now in his jacket. "We were all gonna have a snowball fight! Wanna join in?"

"I want Clark on our team!" Kitty laughed, as she zipped up her jacket.

"No vay! He's on _our_ team!" Kurt laughed.

Chuckling, Clark said, "I've got a better idea: I'll take you _all_ on! You've all got a thirty-second head-start!"

At that, everyone bolted out the door, running into the snowy woods as fast as they could.

Clark laughed. "I'll be right back, Ma; I don't think this'll take _too_ long!" he joked.

Martha laughed. "Take your time, honey; I'll be fine." she replied. After thirty seconds had passed, Clark put on his winter jacket and was out the door in a flash.

Martha smiled as she watched her boy go, to have fun with his friends; it was the first time she'd ever seen him do that.

By then, Charles had rolled his wheelchair over to have a cup of tea with her. "I hope you're enjoying your stay here, Martha." he said.

Martha nodded. "Just seeing Clark so happy made the trip worthwhile." she replied. She smiled. "Charles, it always broke my heart when Clark was always alone, as a child; we all knew that he could never just goof around with other children his age, not with what he was capable of; even Clark knew that. But now, you've welcomed him, for everything he is, giving him what Jonathan and I never could, no matter how much we tried." Her eyes got a little misty. "_Bless you_." she whispered.

Charles just smiled. "_We_ should be thanking _you_, Martha." he replied. "We may have given him a place to truly be himself, but _you_ – and your husband – have molded Clark into the hero he is now; the kind of example that all mutants can look up to with pride." He raised his cup in a toast. "Merry Christmas, Martha."

Smiling back, Martha returned the toast. "Merry Christmas, Charles."


	10. Stuck in the Middleverse with You

CHAPTER NINE: STUCK IN THE MIDDLEVERSE WITH YOU

_Xavier Institute, February 25, 2007_

It was morning at the Xavier Institute, and Clark was in his room, in his white t-shirt and blue jeans, typing up the first term paper for the winter semester at Bayville University, his hands a blur as they streamed over the keys.

The past few weeks had been fairly quiet. The Brotherhood hadn't been causing any real trouble for the X-Men, other than a few arguments at Bayville High – nothing serious. They were likely just brooding over the series of defeats that the X-Men had handed them in the past, Clark guessed. As for Superman...there had been the odd incident for him to handle, which he'd taken care of without being photographed. Clark didn't mind this down-time; it gave him more time for assignments, as well as to work on the ship.

The Trans-Warp ship was nearly done; the Trans-Warp drive was fully calibrated, the cockpit had been re-fitted, and he was almost finished the new cooling system – in a month or two, it would be ready to fly. Also, Clark had been designing a nano-assembled space-suit for use in his first space-flight; the suit consisted of countless nano-bots, tiny little machines, each one a micro-computer, which formed a coating over him, powered by a micro-generator he'd installed in his belt-buckle, where the nano-suit would be stored when not in use. He'd never had a problem with the vacuum of space, though he didn't particularly _enjoy_ vacuum-pressure. The suit was designed to shield against radiation, as well as having scanners built into the helmet, to collect data from his space-walks...or from the strolls he might take across a planet's surface.

Clark smiled to himself; he could just see the expression on the Professor's face when he showed him the data from a surface-walk on Jupiter. Not only that, he was going to have a tough time convincing some of the others – such as the ever-enthusiastic Kurt, who'd been _begging_ him to let him try the space-ship out when it was done – that the _Krypton_ – as he'd named the ship – was a one-man vessel...and _not_ something to go joy-riding in.

Currently, the others were all at school. He'd heard Jean mention a party at Duncan's house, tonight, but some – namely, Scott, as he and Duncan weren't exactly the best of friends – had been less than enthusiastic.

Suddenly, Clark stopped in mid-sentence, as his hearing picked up a radio signal...from _orbit_. He listened closely...

...and immediately got up, changing into his uniform in a matter of seconds. Quickly saving his paper and switching off his laptop, Superman darted out the window and flew away...heading straight _up_.

_International Space Station, Earth Orbit, a few minutes earlier_

"Mr. Director, the Station has been through a micro-meteor shower; the micro-meteors have damaged part of the main thrusters. We are at a critical stage to get into position to observe the meteors scheduled to pass through our system in several months; if our orbit decays even _slightly_, we'll miss our window of opportunity! It is imperative that a repair shuttle get up here as soon as possible!"

"_I understand the situation, Dr. Richards, but the fact of the matter is that none of our shuttles are in any shape to launch on such short notice!_" the Director of NASA replied. "_I am truly sorry to say this, Doctor, but if you want those thrusters fixed in time, you and your team are going to have to manage the repairs on your own._"

Dr. Reed Richards sighed. "Understood, Director. Richards out." he replied, ending the comm-link. Reed – A.K.A. "Mr. Fantastic," the leader of the team known as the Fantastic Four – was in his late twenties, tall and lean, with short brown hair, light skin, and brown eyes framed by glasses, clad in a blue bodysuit with a large number 4 on the chest. Reed was a scientific genius, with multiple doctorate degrees, from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and numerous other universities; he'd done his best in designing a quantum teleporter...but his dear "friend" Victor van Damme – who now called himself "Doom" – had plugged in the wrong codes...and ended up giving himself, Reed, and the rest of his team inhuman abilities. Reed's body was, basically, a living piece of taffy; he could stretch and bend his frame in ways that could make a contortionist _green_ with envy. At first, Reed had been a bit perturbed, but he'd gotten used to it.

"Reed?"

Reed smiled, as his beloved wife, Susan, also a member of the team, walked over to him, smiling. Sue was in her mid twenties, a bit shorter than him, and with a figure that could make _any_ supermodel jealous, which, when coupled with her brilliant mind, calm nature, and delightful sense of humor made her the girl of Reed's dreams; hers was a willowy grace, with flawless curves, accentuated with perfect modesty by the blue bodysuit she wore, identical to his. Her long, golden hair lightly flowed about her head, her sapphire eyes twinkling. Like him, Sue had been altered by the teleporter...except it had given her the ability to generate force fields that could make her invisible – earning her the nickname "Invisible Woman" – as well as enabling her to levitate objects.

"Hey." Reed greeted, embracing her.

"So," Sue sighed, "what did the Director say?"

Reed groaned. "If we want those thrusters working, we're going to have to fix them ourselves."

Sue looked stricken. "_Please_ tell me you're joking."

"Oh, Sue, don't I _wish_."

Sue visibly wilted. "These meteors aren't going to be back for fifty years," she lamented, "we _can't_ miss them!"

"We won't, Sue." Reed promised, hugging her. "Now, we'd better go tell the others; we'll need everyone if we're going to get this bird up and running." At that, Sue smiled, nodding, as they both headed into the station's meeting room.

In the meeting room, they found the other two members of the team, waiting for him. "So, Stretch, what's the word?" Johnny "The Human Torch" Storm – Sue's brother and the team's hothead – asked. Johnny was in his late teens, with short, dirty-blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic frame, clad in a suit like Reed's. Johnny had the ability to ignite himself, turning into a being of living fire, capable of channeling his blazing energy into deadly fire-blasts, or unleash it all at once in a blast comparable to a _supernova_. Reed had only seen Johnny use _that_ ability once, and he was in no hurry to see it again...not that Johnny would ever listen. While Reed saw their gifts as a chance to do some real good in this world, Johnny was obsessed with showing off, although he was, at heart, a good kid, who would do the right thing when the chips were down.

Reed shot Johnny a mock glare, before saying, "As far as repairs are concerned, we're on our own. NASA can't get any shuttles with repair equipment up here fast enough."

"So, what's the plan, Reed?" came the gruff voice of Benjamin "The Thing" Grimm. Ben was Reed's best friend; they'd been pals all through university – if Reed designed a spaceship, Ben would fly it. Currently, Ben had been altered the worst by the teleporter: he was now a titanic, almost golem-like creature of living orange rock, over six feet tall, with almost immeasurable strength, with his green eyes the only trait that remained of his human form, clad in blue pants similar in style to the suits the others wore. Ben had adjusted to his new form, but Reed had promised to find a way to cure him...a promise Reed had _every_ intention of keeping.

"Well, Ben, we haven't exactly come up with a plan yet." Reed admitted.

Johnny shrugged. "What plan? Just let me hop out there and I'll weld that sucker good as new!"

"No good, Johnny; your fire needs _oxygen_ to work." Reed said.

"Well, _duh_! That's what space-suits are for!" Johnny said. "I mean, I can flame-on while wearing _this_, right?" He gestured to his uniform. "It'll be the same with a space-suit!"

"_No_, Johnny," Sue corrected, "your uniform fits enough to act as a second skin; if you tried using your powers in a bulky space-suit, you'd burst the suit!"

"We're going to have to find another way to repair the thrusters." Reed said firmly.

Groaning in annoyance, Johnny got up, walking away. He passed a porthole, happening to look out, walking on...

...and then stopped, walking back, to take another look. "Reed," he said, "people need oxygen to survive, right?"

Reed sighed exasperatedly. "_Yes_, Johnny, they do."

"You're _sure_ about that?"

"I'm _positive_." Reed said. "Oxygen is essential for survival."

"Hey, _I_ believe you, Reed." Johnny said. He then gestured to the porthole. "But don't tell _him_ that!"

Sue's eyes narrowed, as she walked over. "Johnny, we don't have _time_ for your..." but she stopped as she looked out the porthole, her face going pale.

Reed noticed. "Sue..?"

"_Reed_..." Sue murmured, pointing out the porthole, "..._look!_"

At that, both Reed and Ben joined their teammates at the porthole...and got the surprise of their _lives_. "_Whoa_..." Ben murmured, "...Steve Rogers wasn't _kidding_! The guy's _real_!!"

There, outside the porthole, floating in the airless vacuum of space, was a young man, no older than Johnny, with short, slicked black hair, a few tufts arcing over his forehead, piercing blue eyes, and the frame of a Greek _god_, clad in a blue bodysuit with tight red shorts, red boots, a yellow belt, a long red cape, and a stylized red 'S' on the chest, within a yellow diamond outlined in red.

Superman gave them a friendly smile, waving politely, before exhaling frost on the porthole. He then simply wrote in the frost, "_May I come in?_"

Reed rubbed his eyes, to clear them, making sure he wasn't hallucinating; he wasn't. "O-Open the airlock!" he exclaimed, rushing to the computer console that controlled the pressurization inside the airlock, quickly pumping all the air currently in the chamber out of it, to avoid explosive decompression. At the same time, Sue quickly keyed in the sequence to open the outer hatch as soon as pressure had equalized.

Outside the station, Superman took notice of the airlock opening; he nodded to them, and flew towards the airlock.

"He...he's inside." Sue stammered. "Shutting outer hatch."

"Roger. Commencing re-pressurization." Reed confirmed, just as shocked as his wife was. In minutes, the inside of the airlock was at normal atmospheric pressure. Slowly, the inner hatch began to open...as the Fantastic Four met face-to-face with someone they'd long thought was an urban legend.

Superman had to admit, the looks on the faces of the Fantastic Four were so funny. "Thanks! It's a little chilly, out there!" he greeted. He extended a hand to Reed Richards. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor!"

Slowly, dazedly, Reed shook his hand. "How..?" he finally stumbled out. "How...did you..?"

"...survive in vacuum?" Superman finished. "It's easy when your body doesn't absolutely _require_ oxygen. Plus, I know how to regulate my internal body-pressure so I don't explode out there; it's a fairly new trick I've picked up." He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know if I could do that _indefinitely_, though." he admitted. "To be safe, I'd prefer to use a space-suit for longer periods of hard-vacuum. I can stay at the outer edges of Earth's atmosphere with no problem, but pure vacuum is a little trickier."

"I...can imagine..." Sue Richards stammered.

"You're...a bit of a surprise, Superman." Reed said.

"I hope I didn't startle you all." Superman said. "I'd heard that you were having trouble with your thrusters, so I was wondering if you needed any help."

Ben Grimm arched a rocky eyebrow. "How did you hear about _that_?"

Superman smiled, and tapped his left ear. "When your hearing extends into UHF and ULF, picking up radio signals isn't too hard."

Sue's eyes widened. "You can _hear_ Ultra-High and Ultra-Low Frequency?!" she exclaimed. "That's...that's _amazing!!_"

Johnny snorted. "Big whoop. So he can listen in on cell-phone conversations." he said. "Unless he brought a shuttle-load of spare parts with him, he came up here for nothing."

"_Johnny!_" Sue admonished.

Reed sighed. "Though I wouldn't have phrased it _that_ way, my brother-in-law is correct." he admitted. "The main fuel line for the thrusters was punctured by micro-meteors; we can't weld it because torches – as well as Johnny's powers – need oxygen to burn. The fuel line has to be replaced...and it doesn't look like replacement parts will arrive in time." He sighed again. "Your offer of help is deeply appreciated, Superman, but I honestly don't see what you could do to solve this problem."

Superman thought for a minute...and then smiled, as he saw a way to demonstrate how he could help. "Mrs. Doctor Richards," he said, gesturing to a nearby table, "is that your tea?"

"Why...yes." Sue replied, confused. Upon taking a closer look, she scowled. "Oh, _darn_ it! It's gotten cold!"

Suppressing a grin, Superman said, "Please, ma'am: allow _me_." He focused on the cup, his eyes lightly glowing red as he fired a minuscule eye-beam at it; he'd learned to control his eye-beams to such a fine degree that the energy-beam used so little energy that the beam itself was invisible...but it was still useful.

Instantly, the tea within the cup began to steam.

Sue's eyes widened. "_W-What??_" she stammered. "How did you..?"

"Eye-rays, Doctor." Superman explained. "They can be pretty handy."

Slowly, Reed smiled. "Could you use those in vacuum?"

"Sure!"

Ben laughed. "Well, whaddya know!" he exclaimed. "We might just keep this bird flying, after all!"

It hadn't taken very long for Reed to break out the blueprints for the station and point out where the fuel line had been punctured. After examining the schematics, Superman promptly headed back into the airlock; once it was sealed, the Fantastic Four quickly pumped out the air and opened the outer hatch, letting him out. Back in the black of space, Superman flew to the underside of the massive station, where the thrusters were located.

The fuel line had been punctured, all right; it was dotted with more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. Carefully, Superman fired a controlled eye-beam over the punctured metal, heating it just enough to make it malleable, causing it to flow back together, the holes mending. Superman slowly passed the beam over the entire damaged section, until all the holes were mended. After waiting until the metal had cooled, Superman flew back to the airlock, closing the outer hatch behind him. The Fantastic Four re-pressurized the airlock, and the inner hatch opened, allowing Superman back inside.

Reed and Sue were already at the thruster-control console. "Fuel flow is restored...the thrusters have power, again! You _did_ it, Superman!" Reed exclaimed.

Sue beamed. "Thank you, Superman! If you hadn't gotten the thrusters working again so quickly, we would have missed our chance to observe the meteors that will be passing through our solar system in a few months!"

Superman just smiled. "No problem, Doctor."

Johnny just scowled. "_I_ could've done that." he muttered. "If there'd been any air, I could've fixed it up just as good as that."

Ben just grinned. "Don't pay _any_ attention to Flame-Brain, here, Supes." he quipped. "He's just sore because there's been more hits to _your_ fan-site in one day than there has been to _his_ all this month!"

Superman just arched an eyebrow. "So?" he asked. "What's the big deal about that?"

Reed smiled, and shook his head. "Superman, we've been trying to get that through his thick skull ever since we _got_ these abilities."

Just then, Superman's belt-communicator began to beep; Superman took it out and opened it. "Superman here."

"_Superman, it's Cyclops. We've got a situation, here; you'd better get back to the Institute ASAP._"

"Roger. Superman out." Superman said, and he switched off his communicator. "Sorry, but I have to go; my friends need help."

Reed looked to his team. "Well, you just helped _us_ out." he said. "It'd be awfully impolite for us not to help _you_ out!"

Sue smiled. "It's the least we could do!"

Ben nodded. "Sounds good to me!" he agreed.

"Eh. Why not?" Johnny said.

"Just give us the coordinates; we'll take our own ship down." Reed said. Superman nodded, and gave Mr. Fantastic the coordinates to the Institute, before the Fantastic Four boarded their own spacecraft, as Superman left the station via the airlock, leading the way.

Charles had gathered in the Danger Room with the X-Men, in uniform...all save Nightcrawler. Cyclops had contacted Superman, alerting him of the seriousness of the situation. A few minutes later, Superman had contacted them, stating that he was bringing help.

Charles had been more than surprised at who Superman had brought.

"Professor Xavier?!" Reed Richards exclaimed, smiling. "I don't believe it! It's been so long!"

Charles smiled warmly as he shook hands with his old Harvard student. "Hello, Reed. It's good to see you, again."

Cyclops' expression was almost comical. "Professor..." he said, "...you _know_ the Fantastic Four?"

"Well, I did teach Dr. Richards a while back, when I taught at Harvard." Charles admitted.

Sue smiled, extending her hand to Charles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Xavier. Reed has told me all about you."

"The pleasure is mine, Doctor." Charles replied. He chuckled. "It's certainly a joy to meet the woman who could pull Reed out of his own head long enough to propose!"

"So, what's the problem?" Superman asked.

Charles looked to Rogue. "Perhaps you should explain, Rogue, since you were there."

Rogue looked down at a device she held. "We were at school when it happened." she said. "Kurt had stormed off, and Ah had gone ta talk to him."

Cyclops grimaced. "That was my fault." he said. "Kurt was goofing around, dancing on the cafeteria table, and his tail started poking out through his hologram."

Ben Grimm arched a rocky eyebrow. "His _tail_??"

"Yeah; Kurt's kinda..._blue_. And furry." Shadowcat said.

Ben chuckled. "Well, that's no big deal." he said.

"Anyway, I kinda...yanked him off the table by his tail." Cyclops said. "At which point we started arguing, and he stormed off."

"Scott, you couldn't have known this would happen." Jean said.

"Known _what_ would happen?" Johnny asked.

"Ah followed Kurt to a hidden lab in the forest behind the school." Rogue said. "He started up this gizmo," she gestured to the device she held, "and it fired at him, and..." she closed her eyes, "...he _vanished_."

At that, Reed walked over to Rogue, who handed him the device. After looking at it for a few minutes, then using an electronic scanning tool on it, he said, "This is _amazing_! This device seems to be capable of opening a portal to a type of 'pocket dimension' parallel to ours! Your friend must have triggered it, and it pulled him into this dimension!"

"Can we get him back?" Spyke asked.

"It's possible." Reed replied. "If the device opens a sustained portal for a long enough time, Kurt should be able to just walk back out! However, there's no way of knowing how long this device can sustain such a portal, so we should fire it up at the exact location where Kurt disappeared; hopefully, he didn't go too far from where he entered that dimension."

Sue turned to Rogue. "Could you take us back to where Kurt disappeared?" Rogue nodded.

"Well then, we'd better get moving!" Cyclops declared. "Superman, you follow us from the air; the rest of us will take the X-Van!"

"Agreed." Mr. Fantastic said. "Let's go!" With that, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Superman hurried out of the Danger Room, to rescue Kurt.

Alone, Charles simply rolled himself to the elevator, returning to his office...where he found a tall, elegantly built woman, with long brown hair tied in a conservative bun, and brown eyes framed by glasses, clad in a smart suit-jacket and mid-length skirt. "Ah, Principal," he greeted, remembering the appointment, "I'm sorry to have kept you..." but he stopped, as he felt _no thoughts whatsoever_ from the Principal. There were only two people who were capable of completely blocking his telepathy.

Clark was one of them. And the other...

In seconds, the "Principal" shed her disguise...and Mystique revealed herself. "Hello, Charles." she hissed.

"Mystique." Charles said. "I need only call out, and Superman will hear me...assuming _Wolverine_ doesn't get here, first."

"I'm not here for trouble." Mystique replied. "I only wish to tell you to keep your students out of our business..._especially_ your blue X-Man."

Charles' eyes narrowed. "My students will do what is right, Mystique," he replied, "_including_ Superman."

"I wasn't _talking_ about _him_." Mystique spat.

Charles was confused. "You mean...Kurt?" he asked.

"I _won't_ see him get hurt!!" Mystique hissed. "Not for your idiotic dream!!"

"Why would you worry about..." Charles began...and then he froze. "My God..." he murmured, "...it's _him_, isn't it? Kurt is _your son_..."

"_Don't_."

"Raven...when were you going to tell him?" Charles asked.

"I thought about telling him." Mystique admitted. Her face contorted in a snarl. "But with that overgrown Boy-Scout of yours training his eagle-eyes on this place, getting close enough to contact him was _impossible_." Her rage lessened. "It's...it's better this way." she said softly. "Kurt is _happy_." She turned towards the open window, looking back over her shoulder. "_Please_, Charles...keep my son out of harm's way."

And with that, she became a raven, her namesake, and flew away, leaving Charles to ponder what he'd been told.

When Kurt came to, he had a monster headache. "Ugh..." he groaned, slowly standing up. The last thing he remembered was getting hit by a blast from that weird gizmo. Looking around, he found that he was still in that lab...but everything was different. The light coming from outside the lab was in a strange hue, like it was passing through some freaky lens. '_Vat...happened?_' he thought. He started to walk out of the lab, heading back towards school.

When he reached Bayville High, he _knew_ something was wrong; the halls were mostly empty, and every so often, he could see ghostly images of students walking through the school, and they apparently couldn't see _him_. '_Vell, zat's a plus._' Kurt thought, glancing to his fuzzy blue form – the blast must have shorted out his image-inducer. '_Now, vhere am I?_'

"Hey."

Kurt nearly jumped out of his _fur_ as he heard that voice. Turning, he found a young man, around his own age, height, and frame, with darker skin – Aboriginal, Kurt guessed – with mid-length black hair, and dark eyes, clad in a t-shirt and jeans that looked like they'd come from the 70's...and he was completely _solid_, not ghostly at all, like the apparitions Kurt had seen.

The guy smiled, and extended his hand. "The name's Forge." he greeted.

"Kurt Vagner." Kurt replied, shaking his hand. "You're not...freaked out?"

"Nah. After being stuck here for thirty years, nothing really rattles you." Forge replied. "Besides, I'm guessing that you're like me." At that, his hand morphed into a kind of highly advanced electronic tool, and then morphed back.

"You're a mutant, too?" Kurt asked. Then, he froze. "Vait..._thirty YEARS?!_"

"Yep." Forge said. "See, I've always been good with machines and technology; when I went to Bayville High in 1978, I was the _king_ of machine-shop, as well as a computer-expert." He smiled sheepishly. "That's...kinda how I got here. I had just developed a device that opened a portal to a 'pocket-dimension'...but I was a little careless in testing it, and got stuck here; fortunately, time passes differently here, so I didn't age. And, judging from you, I'm guessing that you found my old lab." He gestured to the space around them. "Welcome to Middleverse, my fine, furred friend."

"'_Middleverse_'??" Kurt repeated.

Forge frowned. "Hey, I'm an engineer, not a poet!" he quipped. His smile returning, he added, "Come on; you can crash at my pad for a while." With that, he headed further into the school, with Kurt following.

Forge led Kurt into the gymnasium...where, in the middle of the gym floor, was a collection of gadgets, lab equipment, and computers, as well as a cot...and the sweetest red 1976 Mustang Kurt had _ever_ seen. "When I goofed up the test, it brought all my lab-equipment here, too, along with my car." Forge explained.

Kurt, almost reverently, looked at the car. "_Nice_..." he murmured.

Forge grinned. "I know; I had to work my _ass_ off to afford it...but it was _worth_ it."

"Zhere _has_ to be a vay to get out of here!" Kurt exclaimed. "You _built_ zhe thing!"

"I've been working on it." Forge replied. "I've been trying to build another device like it, in the hopes that I could use it to escape." He gestured to his work-bench. "Unfortunately, given the limited materials I have, improvisation's made it slow going."

Then, Kurt had a thought. "_Rogue!!_" he exclaimed. "_She_ saw me use that thing! She must've told zhe others! I bet zhey're back at zhe lab right now, trying to rescue me!"

"_What?!_" Forge exclaimed. "Why didn't you _say_ so?! If there's someone on the other end, we may be able to escape! Let's go!!" With that, both Kurt and Forge ran out of the school, heading for the lab.

As Kurt and Forge ran up to the lab, Kurt was overjoyed to see the X-Men getting out of the X-Van, heading into the lab; they were going in slow-motion. "Middleverse exists slightly outside of the flow of time for the rest of the universe." Forge explained.

"Oh." Kurt replied. Then, he saw the X-Men and Superman head into the lab, along with... "_Mein Gott!_" Kurt exclaimed. "Zhey brought zhe _Fantastic Four_!"

"Who??" Forge asked.

"Long story." Kurt replied. Then, he froze in horror at what he saw. "Oh, no; zhe Brozerhood is trying to ambush zhem!"

"I'm guessing that this 'Brotherhood' isn't exactly the Boy Scouts." Forge observed.

"Ach, if I could just 'port out of zhis _verdammt_ Middleverse, I could _varn_ zhem!" Kurt lamented.

"Wait..._'port?_" Forge asked. "As in 'teleport'?" Kurt nodded, and Forge grinned. "Hold your horses, my friend; I think I might be able to help with that!" With that, he ran back towards the school, and Kurt followed.

At Forge's new lab, in a matter of seconds, Forge had whipped up some sort of high-tech vest that he quickly handed to Kurt. "This should let you temporarily teleport back to the lab." he explained. "There'll only be a few seconds before it automatically yanks you back here, so you'll have just enough time to warn them! But it'll _only_ be a few seconds, so you're gonna have to choose your words carefully!"

Kurt nodded, putting on the vest. "Got it." he agreed. '_Oh, man, I just hope zhat Scott doesn't think I'm just goofing..._' he thought. Once the vest was securely on, Kurt closed his eyes, focusing...

_Bamf!!_

...and hoped he was in time.

Once the X-Men, Superman, and the Fantastic Four had reached the lab, Cyclops watched as Mr. Fantastic took a closer look at the device. "Hmmm...alright, to open a continuous portal, this button," he pointed to a red button on the side, "needs to be depressed constantly, so one of us will have to operate the device while others go in after your friend."

"Ah'll do it." Rogue said.

"I'll go in after Kurt." Superman volunteered.

"We'll find him quicker if more than one of us go in." Sue stated.

"Agreed." Mr. Fantastic added. "The four of us will go in there along with Superman; we should be able to find him easily."

"Okay. The rest of us will stay out here, and keep watch." Cyclops agreed. "Rogue?"

Taking the device, Rogue pointed it away from everyone else, and depressed the red button, keeping it depressed; instantly, the device fired a constant beam of off-white energy, forming a swirling portal ahead of her. Once the portal was fully stable, Superman darted in, followed by the Fantastic Four.

Seconds after anyone had gone in, a flickering, ghostly image of Kurt 'ported into the lab. "_Kurt!!_" Shadowcat cried.

"_Behind you –_ " Kurt cried, and then he was gone again.

"Okay..." Spyke said, "...any idea what _that_ was about?"

Shadowcat looked behind them, where the door was. Finding nothing, she frowned. "Okay, Kurt had _better_ not be goofing us, again!"

"I don't know, Kitty." Jean said. "I couldn't sense him for very long, but I don't think he was kidding."

"I agree." Cyclops said. "Kurt may be a goofball, but he knows when it's time to stop clowning around." He took a closer look behind them. "But what could he have been..?" but he stopped...as he saw the silhouette of someone hiding outside the door...

...someone with _hunchbacked armor_.

Cyclops took aim, opened his visor, and fired an optic-blast; he heard the distinct scream of Todd Tolansky as the blast connected. "_We've got company!_" he shouted.

At that, Quicksilver, Avalanche, Blob, and Toad walked into the lab. "So much for the element of surprise, Maximoff." Avalanche muttered.

Quicksilver sneered. "Well, it's not like it matters, now." he said. "Ya see, X-Geeks, Toad here saw Skunk-Head and Fuzz-Brain use some gizmo that made Fuzz-Butt disappear. That got us thinkin': why not use _that_ on Super-Dork?" He grinned. "But it looks like you losers did all the work for us, so we'll be taking that thing, now; I doubt you geeks are so tough without your powerhouse backing you up!"

"Everyone, keep them away from Rogue! Rogue, you keep that thing working!" Cyclops ordered. As Blob lumbered towards Rogue, Cyclops fired his optic-blasts, which only slowed Blob down...until Cyclops opened his visor _more_, unleashing more of the full force of his optic blasts, sending Blob flying out of the lab.

Sneering, Quicksilver darted towards Rogue...but stopped in mid-run as Jean levitated him off the ground and tossed him into a wall with her TK.

Toad hopped towards Rogue, but Spyke intercepted him. Toad fired a glob of slime at Spyke, who simply generated a wide bony shield along his arm, deflecting the glob. Spyke then formed numerous, dagger-spines along his free arm, and threw them at Toad, catching the cloth of his uniform, pinning him to the wall.

At that point, Avalanche started to shake the place up with an earthquake, but Shadowcat tackled him, knocking him into the wall, stunning him. She then phased through the wall, reached through it, and pulled him into the wall, trapping him half-way through it, before simply phasing herself out.

As the X-Men re-grouped, the Brotherhood started to get their second wind: Blob got back up; Quicksilver shook himself off; Toad yanked out the spikes pinning him; and Avalanche formed a mini-quake, collapsing the wall that trapped him enough to escape.

Cyclops readied his visor. "Stay focused, everyone; we have to hold them off as long as possible!"

Rogue nodded, and then shouted into the portal, "Superman, get yer red-and-blue butt back here _now!!_"

As Superman and the Fantastic Four walked through the portal, the world on the other side was, save for the lighting and no-one being there, _identical_ to the one they'd left. "We should split up." Mr. Fantastic said. "We can cover more ground, that way." Slowly, the group began to walk out of the lab, leaving the open portal behind, spreading out as they went.

After a few minutes, Superman heard a voice; he didn't recognize it, but it was fairly close. Then, he heard a second voice – _Kurt's_ voice! "He's this way!" Superman called. He ran towards the sound, the Fantastic Four following closely behind.

The sound led them to the gymnasium of this universe's Bayville High School...where Kurt and another youth were tinkering with the engine of a 1976 Mustang. "She's good to go!" the youth said to Kurt.

"Hey, Superman! Perfect timing!" Kurt called. "Zhis is Forge; he's zhe one who built zhe gizmo zhat brought us here!"

"Yeah, and I've been stuck here since the 70's!" Forge added. "Thanks for the rescue!"

"_You_ built it?" Reed exclaimed. "It's _brilliant_! I'd love to take a closer look at the schematics..."

"Uh, Reed?" Johnny said. "Time limit, remember?"

"Oh, zat's right!" Kurt exclaimed. "Before you guys got here, ve managed to warn zhe others zat zhe Brozerhood is going to ambush zhem! Ve have to get back as soon as ve can!"

"No problem." Johnny said. "We've got friends on the other side holding the door open for us."

"Hmmm...that might not work." Forge said. "That portal is an 'incoming' portal, not an 'outgoing' one; just walking into it won't work. To escape, we'll need a lot of momentum to overcome its inertia." He looked to Superman and the Thing. "You guys shouldn't have much trouble reaching escape momentum, but the rest of us have a problem." Grinning, he gestured to his car. "Which is why Kurt and I spent the past few minutes tweaking the engine of my Mustang; we just need to hop in, start her up, and just _cruise_ on out!"

"Well, we'd better get moving!" Superman declared, as he heard Rogue yell out to him from their dimension. "The others need our help, _now_!"

"Cyclops, Ah think this thing's battery is runnin' out!" Rogue cried, as the portal began to flicker. "Ah don't know if Ah can keep it goin' much longer!"

Cyclops fired another optic-blast, driving Blob back, as Jean used her TK to push back the rest of the Brotherhood. "Keep it going as long as you can, Rogue! We'll keep them off you!" he called.

"Sorry, Goggle-Boy, but it's time for you losers to take a little trip!" Quicksilver sneered. "Once we snatch that gizmo, you're all goin' in right after Super-Dork!"

Toad stopped. "Hey, guys, do you hear something?" he asked. "It sounds like...a _car_!"

"'A _car_'?!" Quicksilver said. "Toad, that _has_ to be the stupidest thing you've ever..!"

"Hey, Pietro?" Blob asked. "_I_ hear it, too!"

Jean blinked. "Now _I_ hear it!"

Before long, _everyone_ could hear the sound: it clearly was a car-engine, getting closer and closer. "What the..?!" Quicksilver cried. "Where's that sound coming from?!"

Suddenly, Superman emerged from the portal at super-speed, coming to a perfect stop, as the Thing leapt out of the portal seconds later. Then, a 1976 Mustang burst out of the portal, carrying the rest of the Fantastic Four, Kurt, and another youth.

And then the portal flickered, and died out.

"Hey, guys!" Kurt called, waving.

"Sorry we're late." Superman said, smiling. "Traffic was murder."

The rest of the Fantastic Four got out of the car. "Looks like Speedy here thinks it's time for a trip." Johnny quipped.

Ben grinned savagely. "Actually, Shorty," he said, "_it's **clobberin' time**!!_"

"_Holy!!_" Toad cried. "They...t-they got the freakin' _Fantastic Four!!_"

"Quit whining, Tolansky!" Quicksilver snapped. "We can kick their butts just as easily!" With that, he ran at Mr. Fantastic.

But Reed was ready for him. He leaned to the side, extending his arm to grab onto a pipe in the wall; Quicksilver ran into his elastic arm, causing it to stretch...and then snap back, sending Quicksilver flying into a wall. Enraged, Quicksilver whirled into a mini-tornado, but Superman ran around him at super-speed, in the opposite direction of his spin, first de-spinning him, and then spinning him for a few seconds before stopping, leaving him dazed...giving Mr. Fantastic the time he needed to roll into a loop and bowl over Quicksilver, knocking him out.

Avalanche started to generate an earthquake, but Invisible Woman scooped him into a force-field and lifted him off the floor; as she'd expected, to generate quakes, he had to be _touching_ the ground, as his quake stopped. Sue then shook him in her field like a _maraca_, before dropping him, out cold.

Toad hopped towards Johnny, firing a glob of slime. "_Flame on!!_" Johnny yelled, and his very body ignited, as he became the Human Torch, before he fired a flame-blast, incinerating the glob in mid-flight. Toad fired more globs, but the Torch's heat-aura incinerated them before they could touch him. The Torch then fired a low-power fire-bolt at Toad, sending him flying without seriously burning him.

It was pretty funny, watching Toad run around screaming, trying to put the fire out.

Once Toad had put out the fire, the Torch glared at him, forming _larger_ flame-blasts. "Hey, Reed, is it true what they say about barbecued frog's legs?" he called. "Is it true they taste like chicken?"

"_AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!_" Toad screamed, and he ran out of the lab as fast as he could.

The Torch just chuckled. "That was simply _too_ easy."

Roaring, the Blob ran at the Thing, swinging his fist in a punch...but the Thing easily caught it, then threw Blob over his shoulder, to land hard in front of the door. As Superman touched down, Ben just tilted his head towards Blob. "Double-team?" he suggested.

Superman nodded. "Double-team." At that, both heroes ran at the Blob, both of their punches connecting at the same time.

**_CRACK!!!!_**

The combined punch sent Blob flying out the door, far out of sight. By then, the remaining Brotherhood members had recovered, and were leaving. "This isn't over, Super-Dork!" Pietro yelled. "We'll _get_ you for this!!"

Johnny just chuckled, his form cooling back to normal. "That's what they _all_ say." Scowling, Pietro limped away.

Ben turned to Superman, grinning. "Nice right-cross you got there." he said.

Superman grinned back. "Your left jab isn't too bad, either."

"We'd better get back to the Institute." Cyclops suggested. "Someone's bound to check this place out if we don't clear out." At that, everyone left the lab, getting into the X-Van, driving away, as Superman took to the skies, and Forge just followed them in his Mustang.

After returning to the Institute, Superman, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, as well as their new friend, Forge, had met the Professor in the main hall. "I am pleased to see that everything turned out well." he said. To Forge, he added, "Are you sure you don't want to join the Institute?"

"Well...as sweet a deal as it is, I have to go see my mom!" Forge said. "I'm thirty years late for curfew! Maybe later, though."

"Well, take care." Superman said. Forge just nodded, and headed out to his Mustang.

"I guess we'd better get going, too." Sue said. To Superman, she added, "Though I wish we had more time to _really_ learn about your abilities, Superman."

Reed nodded. "The opportunity to learn about a mutant as powerful as you doesn't come along every day." he agreed.

Superman smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'm...not exactly a mutant."

"Oh, come _on_!" Johnny said. "It's not like you're an alien from a distant galaxy, right?"

Superman froze, as did the rest of the X-Men. Even Professor Xavier was shocked at Johnny's inadvertent deduction.

Johnny noticed. "Wait...I was _right_? You..._are_??"

Ben chuckled. "Law of averages, Flame-Brain. Had to happen sooner or later."

"_Hey!!_"

Reed spoke very softly. "Is...that true?"

'_Well, the cat's out of the bag._' Superman thought. He nodded.

Johnny looked at his sister and brother-in-law, chuckling. "Okay...Science-Geek-speak in 3...2...1..."

"**_OH MY GOD!!!_**" Sue exclaimed. "When did..?! I mean, you're..!!"

"Breathe, Susie. Breathe." Ben chuckled.

"Where are you from? Are there more like you? Are they going to contact Earth?" Reed asked.

Sue picked right up where Reed left off. "How did you get here? Is it far from your planet? Is your planet like our..."

"One question at a time, please!" Superman laughed.

Reed calmed. "Sorry about that." he said. "It's just that..._meeting_ a sentient being from another planet...it's a scientist's dream come true."

Sue nodded. "Superman, you've made _history_, just by _standing_ here!" she exclaimed. "You've answered the question that's been on the minds of astronomers for _decades_! We're not alone!"

Superman half-smiled. "I guess I _could_ answer a few questions." he replied. "First, I'm from the planet Krypton; it was over two billion light-years from here, in the Xerius Galaxy."

"Two billion...wait, 'was'?" Sue asked. "Isn't it still there?"

Superman closed his eyes. "No." he said softly. "About thirty years ago, Krypton's core...the planet was destroyed. The only reason I survived was because my parents sent me here in an experimental Trans-Warp ship. So, no, there aren't any more like me...at least, not anymore."

The Fantastic Four were shocked silent at that. "_Harsh_..." Johnny murmured.

Ben just softly whistled.

"My God..." Reed said.

"I'm...I'm so _sorry_..." Sue whispered. "I...had no idea..."

Superman just smiled. "How _could_ you have known?"

"Reed, I cannot under-stress the fact that – at least for the time being – Superman's existence and origins be kept _secret_." Xavier said. "The world is not yet ready to accept _mutants_. They _certainly_ aren't ready to learn that man is not alone in the cosmos."

Reed nodded. "You're right." he agreed. "There are those in the government that view _us_ as threats; thankfully, we've proven ourselves to enough people that those few are in the minority." He looked at Superman. "Your secret is safe with us, Superman."

Sue nodded. "We'll never tell." she said.

"It goes with us to the _grave_." Ben vowed.

After a few seconds – and a light elbow-jab from his sister – Johnny admitted, "Yeah, well, I guess you _did_ save our butts. We'll keep quiet."

Superman smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, we'd best get going." Reed said. "It was good to see you again, Professor."

"Take care!" Sue added.

"Keep up the good work!" Ben called.

Grinning, Johnny said, "Guess we'll see you on the news, big guy."

Laughing, Superman replied, "I sure _hope_ not!" Laughing, the Fantastic Four headed to the docking bay, where their ship was docked.

Once the Fantastic Four had left, the Professor said, "Well that's enough excitement for one day. You're all exempt from Danger Room sessions this afternoon; enjoy the day. You're dismissed." As they all headed off, Superman heard the Professor add, his voice grave, "Kurt, I need to speak with you..."

It was sunset, the sun's waning red light making the sea beyond the Institute gleam like a vast pool of liquid fire, but Kurt felt too glum to appreciate it, not after learning what he had.

Mystique was his _mother_.

He'd always known he was adopted, that the Wagners weren't his _real_ parents. They had loved him ever since they'd found him in a basket by the river next to their house in Germany, despite him looking...like he looked. Kurt loved them, but he'd always wondered who his _real_ mother was.

Now he knew.

"Hey."

Looking up, Kurt saw Clark there. "Hey." he replied. "Vere you bummed about finding out who _your_ parents vere?"

"Well, I _did_ feel that it answered a lot of questions." Clark replied.

"Ja." Kurt said, looking at his blue hands. "At least I know zat I take after my mother's side of zhe family...und zat _scares_ me."

"Well, look at it this way." Clark said. "Mystique could have come for you as a kid, but she let you stay with the Wagners; she knew what her life involved, and she wanted something better for you. She loves you, Kurt...which means that, deep down, she can't be _entirely_ evil."

Kurt's expression brightened. "You zhink zat she might join zhe good side?"

Clark shrugged. "Hey, I'm from another planet, so _anything's_ possible!"

Kurt grinned. "Zhanks, Big Blue."

"No problem, Little Blue." Clark replied.

"So, have you finished zhe ship yet?" Kurt asked. "I vas vondering..."

"Don't even _think_ about it."

Kurt snapped his fingers. "Darn."

Just then, Clark perked up, his super-hearing having caught something; everyone in the Institute knew _that_ look. "Trouble?"

"Oil tanker in international waters. Hull breach. They're trying to keep the oil tanks sealed." Clark said. "Tell the Professor I might be late, tonight." With that, he bolted off, donning his uniform in seconds, before flying off into the sky, a sonic boom echoing as he flew.

Kurt chuckled as his friend flew off. '_No matter how many times we see him do that,_' he thought, shaking his head, '_it's **still** the coolest thing on the planet._'

_Author's Note: And Marvel's First Family makes their Evolution debut; I hope I kept everyone in character. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!_


	11. Training Day

CHAPTER TEN: TRAINING DAY

_S.H.I.E.L.D. Maximum Security Detention Center #7, classified location, March 15, 2007_

The winter snows were only just beginning to melt around Detention Center #7, a thick blanket of white still coating the ground. On the perimeter of the center, guards made regular patrols; the center was one of several facilities that S.H.I.E.L.D. had designed to house the most dangerous criminals in the country.

Vigilance aside, no-one noticed a single guard heading into the center, his patrol complete. No-one thought anything of him entering the highest-level-clearance cell block, where the absolute _worst_ prisoners were housed. As he walked in, he relieved the guards on duty, stating that the orders came from General Fury _himself_. The other guards quickly complied, heading off to receive confirmation of the orders.

Mystique smiled as she dropped her disguise, alone; it wouldn't be long before someone contacted Iron-Pants Fury, and he'd be madder than a rattled hornet's nest at what had happened...

...but by then, it would be too late.

Her smile growing as she walked towards her objective, Mystique quickly entered the commands to commence the re-animation of the prisoner within the stasis chamber, draining the suspension fluid that kept him immobile. Slowly, as the glass raised, the prisoner stirred...

...and Cain Marko opened his eyes.

Mystique smiled. "Good morning, Juggernaut."

Eyes narrowing, Cain "Juggernaut" Marko rose to his full, towering, seven-foot height, made all the more intimidating by his immensely muscular build. His hair was short, and black, his complexion light, and his eyes dark, and empty – the eyes of a man devoid of empathy, of conscience; of someone who took what he wanted...and who was powerful enough to smash anyone who got in his way. He wore a thick, dark brown armored vest, with matching gauntlets, and dark brown pants, with armored boots.

He was a mutant, whose abilities had been magically enhanced; he had unimaginable strength, and became an unstoppable force whenever he had even the _slightest_ momentum. No known force could stop him; the only real vulnerability he had was to a psychic attack.

"Easy, Cain." Mystique assured him, smiling slyly. "Right now, I'm the best friend you have in this world."

Cain arched an eyebrow. "And why is that?" he rumbled.

"Because," Mystique replied, handing him the massive, dome-shaped, PSI-shielded helmet that he always wore, "I can help you get the one thing you've always wanted."

Cain's eyes narrowed at the thought of his "dear brother." "What's the catch?" he asked, putting on the helmet and fastening the five latches.

"Oh, nothing really." Mystique answered. "All I want is your brother's prized creation: _Cerebro_." She smiled wickedly. "I'm sure _you_ won't want it...and Charles won't _need_ it after you're through with him."

Cain chuckled. "Interesting deal, lady..."

_WHAM!!!_

Mystique hit the wall hard as Juggernaut's massive fist knocked her aside. "...but _nobody_ orders me around." Juggernaut finished. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to pay Little Chuck a visit." With that, he stomped away at impressive speeds for one his size, effortlessly smashing through walls as he went.

Mystique scowled, as she resumed her disguise, activating the silent alarm. Hopefully, with S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to _quietly_ catch Marko, the X-Men – and its cape-clad powerhouse – wouldn't catch on to Juggernaut's vendetta. With any luck, she could snatch Cerebro just as Xavier's half-brother attacked. With this plan, Mystique snuck out of the prison, totally unnoticed.

_Bayville city limits_

"Okay..._why_ are we here, again?"

Clark had to lightly chuckle at Kitty's slightly intimidated inquisition; he had to admit: the snow-covered mountain that they had been dropped at looked fairly daunting. Clark and the rest of the X-Men now stood at the mountain's base, all clad in white pants and white insulated winter coats, with warm gloves, and black hiking boots, each carrying backpacks.

Scott chuckled. "Winter survival training, Kitty." he explained. "We have to hike to the top of this mountain; on average, it's a two-day hike, but Logan said that if we get there sooner, he'll lay off Danger Room sessions for the weekend."

Kitty sighed, pulling up her hood to keep the light falling snow out of her hair. "Well, couldn't we do this closer to home?" she asked.

Clark grinned. "I heard Logan ask the Professor if he could handle the training _himself_, Kitty." he said. "The Professor said that he wanted everyone to _survive_."

Rogue chuckled. "Well, Ah'm sure Mr. Invulnerable here won't have too much trouble." she joked.

"Ja!" Kurt agreed, switching off his inducer; he'd only worn the illusion for the bus-driver, as this had been an activity they had been signed up for. "All you have to do is _fly_ up there!"

"Hey, no powers, remember?" Clark laughed. "As far as this exercise is concerned, I'm just an average joe!"

"Sorry we had to stick you with a lame name, though, Big Guy." Evan said.

Clark, or "Kalvin Elward" – a pun on his Kryptonian name – just shrugged. "No big deal." he replied. It had been decided that, if mutants were ever exposed, and Superman's affiliation with them revealed, Clark's real name wouldn't be used in public activities; "Clark Kent" would never be revealed as an Institute student. That was fine with Clark; he'd never told anyone at university where he lived. This was just another way to keep his loved ones safe, should mutants ever be exposed. "Well, I guess we'd better get going." With that, the band of seven headed for the mountain.

Suddenly, a light whistling cut the air. Clark easily caught it. "Kitty, look out..!"

_Splat!_

"_Ow!_" Kitty cried, as the snowball caught her in the back of the head.

Jean looked around, scanning with her telepathy...and frowned. "Looks like Mystique sprung for this little outing, too."

"Ha ha! The look on your face, Pryde: _priceless_!" Pietro laughed as he zipped up, clad in silver-and-green winter gear. Shortly after, Lance walked up, in black pants and a black-and-brown jacket. Next, Todd hopped into view, in a light blue jacket, blue pants, and a brown wool cap. Finally, Fred lumbered up, in a grey jacket, dark green pants, and a black wool cap. They were also carrying backpacks.

"We just figured we'd give you X-Geeks a little welcome!" Pietro sneered.

Clark's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't funny, Pietro." he said sternly. "You could've _hurt_ her."

"What's the matter, Mr. 'Man-of-Steel'? Can't take a joke?" Pietro taunted.

Clark didn't take the bait. "Let's go, guys." he said.

"Good idea, Kal." Scott agreed, using his pseudonym. "Hopefully, these creeps will get lost along the way."

Pietro, however, wasn't done. "'Kal'?" he sneered, zipping in front of them. "What kinda stupid name is _that_?"

"It's _my_ name." Clark replied, which was true.

"Why don't you just take a hike, Maximoff?" Evan snapped.

"Not until I'm done with Super-Dork." Pietro snapped spitefully.

Rogue smirked. "Figures." she chuckled. "Pietro's just sore that, with Superman around, he's the _second_-fastest thing on the planet."

"_He just got a lucky shot, that's ALL!_" Pietro yelled. He glared at Clark. "I just hope you're hungry, Super-Loser, 'cause you'll be eating our _dust_! _We'll_ get to the top _long_ before you X-Geeks do!"

Clark just calmly folded his arms. "Talk's cheap, Pietro."

"Fine! I'll see _you_ from the mountaintop! As in, I'll be looking _down_!" Pietro spat, and he raced back to his pals.

"Well, looks like this just became a _race_." Scott observed.

"Fine with me." Evan said.

"We'll show them!" Kitty exclaimed.

Everyone else gave similar words of agreement. "Well, then, let's get a move on!" Clark exclaimed. At that, everyone headed onto the trail, heading up the mountainside.

"General, the target is approaching the state line!"

"Warn the local authorities away." Brigadier General Nicholas "Nick" Fury ordered. Nick was in his mid fifties, fairly tall and of athletic build, his short brown hair now lined with grey, his one green eye still sharp, his other eye gone, replaced by a black eye-patch. He wore black pants and a black coat, with the eagle insignia of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate emblazoned on the back.

From the command chair of the Helicarrier, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mobile Supreme Headquarters, Fury oversaw the operation to retrieve Juggernaut...while wondering how in the _hell_ he could've gotten out in the first place.

"Local authorities are acknowledging, sir; they're leaving the field clear."

"Good." Fury said; the local cops were smart enough to let the big boys handle this. They were good men; no sense letting them get hurt against a threat they were nowhere _near_ capable of handling. "Has Artillery Team One intercepted Marko?"

"Affirmative, General; we're receiving a live feed, now. Artillery Team has sighted Marko; attempting to pacify."

The main view-screen on the bridge of the Helicarrier now showed a squad of five tanks and numerous Marines wielding artillery, in a countryside, aiming at the approaching form of Juggernaut. Then, Artillery Team One began to open fire, blasting Marko with everything they had.

For a few moments, there was silence, as the fire ceased. Fury hoped that they had done it...

...and then Juggernaut burst out of the smoke, with not even a scratch, barreling past the tanks, sending two of them flying with a few swipes from his fist.

"Team One ineffective, sir; target is still advancing."

"Order Team One to fall back. Have Artillery Team Two intercept the target; tell them to aim for the five latches on Marko's helmet." Fury ordered. He sighed; he didn't want to involve a civilian – even a powerful telepath like Xavier – in a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation, but it looked like only Charles Xavier could shut Marko down. He'd ordered all units to observe radio silence, to keep this operation under the radar.

But, at the rate Juggernaut was going, Xavier would find out soon enough on his own; Marko was only a day or so away. You didn't have to be a West Point graduate to tell where he was headed.

"Uh...sir?" the Executive Officer reported. "I'm getting...meteorological anomalies forming ahead of Marko."

Fury arched an eyebrow. "'Meteorological anomalies'?" he repeated.

"Fog, sir, forming right on top of him. It came out of nowhere."

Fury had a hunch. "Focus infrared scanners on the center of the fog." Instantly, the screen showed the multicolored silhouette of a person, a woman, with long hair, a cape trailing behind her, floating in the middle of the fog.

'_Well, looks like Xavier's already gotten wind of his brother's homecoming._' Fury thought. It seemed that Miss Munroe was trying to slow Juggernaut down, to delay him.

Well, that could work to their advantage. "Have Team Two drop into the fog; I want night-vision goggles active. Marko can't see in this; we'll use that against him."

"Aye, sir; Team Two is en route."

Fury could only watch as his operatives carried out his orders, hoping for the best. He knew that they would follow his orders to the best of their ability...and if you were a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, that was pretty damn good.

Unstoppable or not, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't roll over for _anybody_.

It was nearly sunset by the time the X-Men reached a lake, the sky already blazing as the sun's light waned. As they walked to the lake's edge, Scott took notice of five canoes that had been left there. "We can shave a few hours if we take these canoes across." he said.

Jean nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." The others nodded.

"Exactly what _we_ were thinking, Summers!"

Scott groaned as he saw the Brotherhood walk up. '_Oh, great..._'

"Looks like we've caught up with you losers." Pietro sneered.

Scott kept his cool. "Well, there's enough canoes for all of us; we'll take three, so that leaves two for you." With that, he and the others took three of the canoes, and began loading their gear into them; Jean and Kitty got in one canoe; Kurt, Rogue, and Evan all got in another; and Scott and Clark got in the third canoe.

Before long, they had set out on the frigid water, paddling towards the far side. Scott and Clark were leading the pack, with Kurt, Rogue, and Evan's canoe in second, followed closely by Jean and Kitty. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Scott saw the Brotherhood closing on them: Lance and Pietro in one canoe, and Todd and Fred in the other. Lance and Pietro were closing on them; then, Pietro nudged Lance, and Lance nodded. Scott didn't like the looks of that. '_Stay cool, Summers..._'

Suddenly, an earthquake rocked the lake, disrupting the X-Men's paddling, and nearly tipping Scott and Clark into the water. "Ha ha!" Pietro laughed, as they pulled ahead.

Scott saw red, even more than usual. He reached to take off his glasses, to blast them out of the water...

"Easy, Chief." Clark said. "It's not worth it."

Scott calmed, Clark's words reminding him of what he'd been taught. "Right. No powers." he agreed. "Let's just keep going." With that, they resumed paddling.

"_AAAAAHHHH!!_"

Startled, Scott turned the boat, to see Todd cry out. "We're sinking!" Fred cried. "There's a hole in this stupid boat!"

"Hey, I like water, yo, but not _this_ much!" Todd wailed.

Clark grimaced. "Maybe I was too hasty in the 'no powers' thing."

"Well, I think this qualifies as 'extenuating circumstances'!" Scott exclaimed. "Go for it, Kal!"

"On it!" Clark said. He took a deep breath, and blew an absolute-zero blast of cold air towards Todd and Fred's canoe, freezing the water _solid_, all the way to shore, stopping the canoe from sinking. "Get to shore!" Clark called. "The ice is thick enough to support you!" Fred and Todd didn't need to be told twice; they picked up their gear and ran to shore. The situation defused, the X-Men continued on their way.

When the X-Men reached the shore, Lance and Pietro were waiting for their teammates, as Todd and Fred came up, huffing from the walk. Pietro scowled at Clark. "Oh, you just _had_ to save the day, didn't you?!" he snapped.

"Yeah, 'cause people fallin' into freezin' water tends ta be a _bad_ thing!" Rogue shot back. "_Gawd_, what's yer damage, Maximoff?!"

"Okay, everyone just calm down." Scott said. "It's nearly nightfall, so now would probably be a good time to camp for the night."

"Fine! We'll just get a head-start on you!" Pietro laughed.

"Are you _nuts_?!" Todd cried. "I'm _pooped_!"

"And I'm hungry!" Fred complained.

Lance chuckled. "You're _always_ hungry, Fred."

"Well...I'm even hungrier than normal!"

"Fine, fine, you big babies." Pietro grumbled. "We'll stop here." With that, both teams headed in separate directions, to set up camp.

By the time the X-Men had set up camp, night had fallen. They had brought two four-man tents – one for the girls, and one for the guys. They had also constructed a little campfire; currently, Scott was the only one sitting by it, the others either in their tents, or looking around. Off in the distance, a few meters away, Scott could see the light of the Brotherhood's campfire.

"Hey."

Looking up, Scott smiled as he saw Jean. "Hey." he greeted, as Jean sat down next to him.

"Scott," Jean began, "I just wanted to tell you how proud I was – _am_ – of you, earlier today."

Scott blinked. "For what?"

"For not using your powers, even after the dirty trick that the Brotherhood pulled." Jean said.

Scott looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, actually," he admitted, "I almost _did_; if Clark hadn't reminded me to cool my heels, I probably would've blasted them."

Jean looked a bit guilty. "I...kinda..._knew_ that." she said. "I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to read your thoughts, but you were mad at the time; you know how hard it is for me to block thoughts associated with strong emotion!"

"Hey, don't worry about it, Jean." Scott assured her.

Jean smiled. "Anyway, even though Clark reminded you, you still could've blasted them, but you _didn't_." she said. "Plus, you told Clark to _help_ Todd and Fred!"

"Well, he probably would've helped them, anyway."

Jean just gave him a half-annoyed look. '_I'm **trying** to compliment you, you know!_' she sent to him.

'_Sorry._' Scott sent back.

Satisfied, Jean finished, "I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you." She smiled. "The Professor couldn't have picked a better team leader."

If Scott smiled any more than he already was, his face would cramp up. "Thanks, Jean."

Jean smiled, her emerald eyes glittering from the fire-light, a rosy tint across her face...which Scott couldn't see, due to the perpetual red of his glasses. Then, for a few seconds, their gazes met.

Scott didn't know what he would ever do without her. She was his best friend; and, at times like this, he wondered if they could be _more_. Part of Scott told him no; Jean was with Duncan, the supremely popular Big Man on Campus...but, at times like this, the rest of him said different...

And then Clark walked in, looking up at the sky, a quizzical expression on his face. "Oh, hey, Kal." Jean greeted, nervously, her blush intensifying at the tender moment between her and her best friend...secretly grateful that Scott couldn't see it. "Anything wrong?"

"I don't know." Clark said. "I'm hearing artillery fire; the radio signals I'm getting are saying that it's just war-games...but they sound awfully close to the city...and getting _closer_."

Scott shrugged. "It's probably nothing." he said.

Jean giggled. "You know how it is with boys and their toys!"

"Hey!" Scott laughed.

Clark chuckled. "You're probably right." he agreed. Suddenly, he froze. "Guys, someone's in trouble!"

"What? Where?!" Scott exclaimed.

"A few miles to the east of here!" Clark exclaimed. "Someone's trapped on a cliff!"

"Guys, over here!" Scott called; at once, the rest of the X-Men hurried over, as Scott told them what was going on. "We have to help whoever it is! Kal, lead the way!" At that, Clark hurried ahead, his super-hearing tracking the cries for help, and the rest of the X-Men followed him.

Lance was sitting at the campfire when he happened to see the X-Geeks head off. Shrugging, he resumed toasting the hot dog he was planning on snacking on.

What happened earlier today was still bugging him. '_Why did Superman save Todd and Fred?_' he thought. It just didn't make sense...

By then, Pietro had seen the X-Men head off, too. "Well, look at that." he said. "God, how those losers can put up with Mr. 'Save-the-Day' on a 24-hour basis is beyond me."

Lance frowned. Sure, he didn't like Superman, but lately, Pietro had been ranting about the guy almost non-stop. "Pietro, why do you hate him so much?" he asked. "_I_ don't like him, Todd doesn't like him, Fred doesn't – _none_ of us do. But _you_ take it to a whole different level."

"Well, yeah, I don't like the guy," Todd said, "but...ya gotta admit, he does some pretty righteous stuff, yo. I mean, I heard that he once caught a 747 that was gonna crash; that's probably a few hundred people who were gonna die...but they didn't, 'cause..."

"_Can_ it, Tolansky!!" Pietro spat. "It's bad enough that cape-clad _loser_ is mentioned almost everywhere I look, but I draw the line at listening to my _teammates_ go on about him!"

"Hey, take it easy, Pietro!" Fred said. "All Todd's sayin' is that he does some good stuff. Like today, he helped us out!"

"I just can't _stand_ that flying geek, that's all." Pietro muttered. "Aw, screw it; I'm goin' to bed." With that, he ducked into the tent.

Before long, the others opted to turn in, too, leaving Lance alone by the fire.

Lance turned to look where the X-Men had gone off. His mind returned to his previous train of thought...

Clark's hearing led him to the edge of a cliff, the X-Men following him. Clark looked over the edge. "Hello?" he called down. "Is everyone okay?"

"_Please, help!_" came a woman's cry. "_My husband was exploring a cave, when a boulder blocked the entrance! He's trapped!_"

"Hang on! We're here to help!" Clark called back. He turned to the others. "I think I can find a way to move the boulder without freaking her out, but I'll need you guys to lower me down." He smiled sheepishly. "Be warned; I'm a little heavy."

"Okay." Scott agreed; quickly, the X-Men got out the climbing harness and line they'd brought. Clark quickly put on the harness while the X-Men readied the line. Once the line was attached, Clark began to repel down the cliff, with the X-Men holding the line steady.

"Jeez, CK, how many _bricks_ do you have in your pockets?" Evan grunted.

"Sorry." Clark called. "Almost there...just a little further..." and then, he touched down on the rock out cropping where the lady was...along with her two children, a 5-year-old little girl, and a 9-year-old boy, who were holding their mom's hand, red-eyed from crying. Looking closely, Clark could see a path leading down to the ground; if he freed the father, they could get down safely.

The little girl sniffled. "Please...help our Daddy!"

Clark smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry." he said softly. He knew that "Superman" could have lifted the boulder easily...but Clark Kent would have to improvise. Spying a nearby dead tree branch, he got an idea. Picking up the branch, he then nudged a smaller rock towards the boulder, before jamming the branch under the boulder, using the small rock with the branch as a lever. He pulled on the lever...and the boulder rolled to the side. Seconds later, a middle-aged man walked out, none the worse for wear.

"_Daddy!!_" the little girl cried, rushing to hug her father, followed by her brother and the mother. Clark had to smile, as the little family was reunited.

The father smiled at him. "Thank you." he said. "Who knows how long I'd have been stuck there?"

Clark just shrugged. "Don't mention it."

"Wow...how'd you _do_ that?" the boy asked.

Clark grinned. "Oh, you know...eat your vegetables!" he answered. Then, the family began to head back down, while Clark began to climb up, to rejoin his friends.

When he got back up, the X-Men looked relieved to let go of the line. "Wow, Clark, you weren't kidding!" Jean laughed.

Clark smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem." Rogue replied.

"But, _Mein Gott_, you veigh a _ton_!" Kurt laughed.

Clark chuckled; he'd once wondered about his increase in body-mass during his time in the Fortress. "Apparently, my body tissues – mostly my skeleton and my muscles – are a lot _denser_ than the average human's." he explained.

"Oh." Kitty replied. "That explains it."

"Well, we'd better get back to camp and turn in." Scott said. "We have a big day, tomorrow."

"Ja." Kurt agreed. "And if ve're out much longer, ve'll probably catch a cold!" Then, his nose started to twitch. "Ah...Ah..."

Everyone gasped in horror; one sneeze could easily set off a _real_ avalanche. Quickly, Kitty clamped her hand over Kurt's mouth...

...but no sneeze came. "Phew! Zhanks, Kitty!" Kurt exclaimed. Everyone relaxed...

...and then the unthinkable happened. "_AH-**CHOOOOO**!!_"

The sneeze echoed across the mountainside...and a distant rumble filled the air. Far off in the distance, a mass of snow began barreling down the mountainside, coming right at them...

...and then, another rumble filled the air, as a massive crack opened up in the ground ahead of the avalanche; the snow simply fell into that crack, missing them completely.

Kitty blinked. "What just happened?!" she exclaimed.

"I...don't know..." Scott said.

Clark looked around...and his vision caught a figure heading back into the woods. He smiled. "I think _I_ might."

It hadn't taken Lance long to get back to the campfire; no-one would ever know what he did.

'_Why did I **do** that?_' he thought. The X-Men were supposed to be his enemies.

So why had he saved them?

"Lance?"

Looking over his shoulder, Lance saw Kitty there, smiling nervously. "What do you want, Pretty Kitty?" he asked...and then mentally smacked himself for using that nickname, since it would make her think he _liked_ her.

Which, of course, he _did_, no sense denying it, but that didn't mean he wanted her to _know_.

"I just...wanted to thank you." Kitty replied. Lance wasn't sure, since it was so dark, but it looked like she was..._blushing_? Around _him_?

"For what?"

Kitty laughed. "What do you mean 'For what'?" she exclaimed. "For _saving us_!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lance said flatly. "I've been here all night."

Kitty giggled. "_Sure_, Lance."

"I _was_!"

"You know, deep down," Kitty said, "I don't think you're really as bad as you think you are." Then, she quickly zipped over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "_Thank you_." she added, before she hurried off.

Lance put his hand to where she'd kissed him. '_Wow._' he thought. Saving the X-Geeks had been _worth_ it, just for that.

Returning to his campfire barbeque, Lance paused. He felt something, something that he never had before.

The cold, dull ache of knowing he wasn't worth a damn...it was _gone_...and in its place was something _else_: some warm, fuzzy feeling, which made him feel a little better about looking at himself in a mirror.

Smiling, Lance just resumed his cooking. '_Maybe this is why Superman helps people._' he thought.

'_This feeling...it's not half-bad._'

It was about mid-morning when Juggernaut first sighted his "dear brother's" Institute as he walked through the woods. Cain smirked to himself; he was going to _enjoy_ putting his fist through 'Little Charlie's' _face_.

Charles had always gotten _everything_. Ever since his father had started dating Charles' mother, he'd had to be nice to the little runt...or face his father's wrath.

Cain couldn't even _remember_ the exact number of times his father had beaten him because he was 'too rough' with the little brat, or because he didn't want to play with him at all...

_"Cain?" 9-year-old Charles Xavier asked, all smiles, running up to his new step-brother, 14-year-old Cain Marko. "Mom got us a new football! Can we play?"_

_Cain scowled, hiding the cigarette he'd just lit, squashing it under his shoe. "Not now." he growled._

_Charles' smile evaporated. "Aw, come on! Please?" he pleaded._

_Cain's eyes narrowed. "I said, not now!"_

_"Cain!!"_

_Cain froze as his father stormed up. "What did I tell you?" he said angrily. "I think we need to have a talk, mister."_

_"No, really, Dad, it's okay!" Charles said. "If Cain doesn't want to play now, we can just play, later! I don't mind!"_

_His father just smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it, Charlie." he assured him. "Cain and I need to have a man-to-man talk, that's all."_

_"Oh...okay." Charles said. As his father led Cain away, Charles called, "I'm sorry, Cain..."_

_'Not as sorry as you're **gonna** be...' Cain thought, as his father led him into their woodshed._

_"What did I tell you, Cain?!" his father exploded, backhanding him. "Until his mother and I get married, you're to be nice to Charles, is that understood?!"_

_Cain couldn't suppress his rage. "But I **hate** that little..!!"_

_"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!" his father roared, backhanding him again._

_"Yes." Cain said softly._

_"Good." his father said, calming. "Now, go out and play football with him...and let him win."_

_"Yes, sir." Cain said, as he headed out of the shed._

'_It's payback time, you little runt._' Cain thought, as he stomped towards the Institute. Those S.H.I.E.L.D. idiots had given up shortly ago; they'd gotten the message. Nothing would stop him now...

"_RRRRRRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!!!!_"

Juggernaut whirled around in surprise, as some lunatic in a black and orange uniform, with metal claws coming from his knuckles, leapt at him from a nearby thicket. He slashed at Cain, aiming for his helmet, but Juggernaut batted him aside. The lunatic flew back, landing in the brush; Juggernaut ran after him ready to _pound_ him...

...but he was gone; the brush was empty.

Then, the claw-guy pounced on him from behind, managing to leap onto his back, slashing his helmet, doing only superficial damage...

...but to a helmet supposed to be damage-proof, that was significant enough.

Infuriated, Juggernaut grabbed the little runt and threw him through a tree, before rushing after him. Amazingly, the runt managed to get up, though wobbly, and dove through the gap between Cain's legs, coming up behind him to slash his armored back; no damage. His armor was enchanted to resist anything short of a _nuke_.

Cain slammed him with a punch, sending the guy flying fifty feet, before heading on his way...only to have the bloodied stranger, his damage somehow mending before Cain's eyes, come at him again.

'_Fine! If this moron wants to get pounded every step of the way, fine by me!_' Juggernaut thought. '_It's been a while since I was free, so I could use the workout!_'

The little punk thought that he could stop him.

_Nothing_ stopped him...and nothing ever _could_.

It was nearly afternoon when the X-Men first sighted the peak of the mountain. Clark wasn't with them at the moment; he's heard a train about to crash over in England, so Scott had told him it was fine; he could always catch up to them later. "Okay, everyone! We're almost there! Double-time!" Scott instructed. At once, everyone doubled their pace, heading for the summit.

They were just about there when the Brotherhood emerged from the forest. The instant they saw the peak, Pietro ran towards it at top speeds...

The X-Men and Pietro both stepped onto the peak at the same time.

"Well...looks like we've got a tie." Scott observed.

Pietro scowled, and was about to fire off a retort...when the Blackbird descended from the clouds. Storm's voice echoed from the speaker: "_X-Men, we have to get back to the Institute immediately! The Professor is in danger!_"

Scott nodded. "Everyone, hop in and suit up!" he instructed. Promptly, the rest of the X-Men darted into the Blackbird.

By then, the rest of the Brotherhood had caught up. "Don't suppose we could hitchhike?" Lance asked.

Scott grinned. "You sure you _want_ to?"

Lance chuckled. "This hike's been kinda boring, anyway." he said, taking his uniform out of his backpack, as his friends did the same.

Scott smiled. "The more, the merrier!" he replied. With that, he hopped into the Blackbird, and the Brotherhood followed, before the jet took off towards the Institute.

Promptly, Scott headed to the cockpit and hailed Superman...but, knowing him, he was probably en route, already...

It didn't take Juggernaut long to smash his way into the room where Xavier was.

Charles was just sitting at the far end of a vast metal room, at the lowest level of the Institute, in his wheelchair. "Hello, Cain." he said softly.

"So you decided to face me." Cain sneered. "Or were you gonna use those brain-powers of yours on me?" Smirking, he tapped his helmet. "Sorry, 'Little Bro'; I planned ahead!" He dropped the limp form of the claw-guy, who'd fought him every step of the way.

"Sorry...Chuck..." the claw-guy wheezed, "I...held him back...as long as I could..."

"It's okay, Logan. You did your best." Xavier said.

"Yeah, well, his best just didn't bring home the bacon!" Juggernaut sneered. "_Say your prayers, you little runt!!!_" He ran at Charles.

Charles tapped a button on the left panel of his wheelchair. Instantly, numerous laser-turrets pooped up, firing at him, but Cain barreled through them, utterly unimpeded. Several buzz-saws sprouted up, but Juggernaut smashed them with his fists. "_When are you gonna **get** it?!!_" Cain exploded, as he smashed through the drones that popped out to slow him. "_YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!_"

Finally, nothing stood between him and Xavier. Cain grinned savagely as Xavier closed his eyes in acceptance. He raised his fists...

A sonic boom echoed behind him. "_Leave him alone._"

'_What the..?_' Cain thought, as he turned to find...a _kid_, with blue eyes, slicked black hair, in a blue bodysuit with red shorts, red boots, a red cape, and a funny-looking red 'S' on his chest, in a red-and-yellow diamond. "Ha! A _kid_?! _That's_ yer last line of defense, Charlie?! Give it a _rest_, already!!" With that, before anyone could react, he backhanded the kid, sending him flying into the wall, cratering it. He turned back to Xavier...

The sonic boom echoed again, as Cain found the kid between him and his brother, with not even a scratch, an annoyed expression on his face. "I _won't_ ask you again." the kid said firmly.

Now Cain was _mad_. "In case you didn't hear me, junior," he roared, "you can't stop me!! _Nothing_ stops me!! _I'm UNSTOPPABLE!!_" With that, he charged at the kid, swinging at him.

This time, however, the kid was ready; he simply ducked under Cain's punch. Cain was a bit surprised, but he knew he could _destroy_ him with the follow-up...when he got the surprise of his _life_.

**_WHAM!!!!!_**

Cain gasped as an unfamiliar sensation – _pain_ – exploded across his chest, stopping him in his tracks. He felt like he'd just been hit by a _point-blank nuke_...

"_Consider yourself **stopped**._"

Trying to catch his breath, Cain _staggered back_ a few steps. '_He...he **stopped** me..._' Cain thought. Recovering quickly, Juggernaut snarled, ready to counter-attack...

...but he never got the chance. The kid slammed him with another punch, just as hard as the first one, echoing like a _thunderclap_, sending Cain flying into the wall, cratering it _twice_ as much as _he'd_ cratered the kid. Juggernaut looked down...and saw the _fist-shaped dent in his armor_.

Juggernaut burst out of the crater, roaring with laughter, to the kid's surprise. "I actually _felt_ that!!" he crowed. "I can't even _remember_ the last time I felt pain!" He glared at the kid, smiling cruelly. "_This_, junior, is gonna be _fun_!"

Superman readied himself as Juggernaut came at him. He dodged Marko's initial punch...only to be caught by his knee-strike, which would've _killed_ a normal human, but it only temporarily disoriented him. Cain slammed him with another punch, and came at him with another...but Superman blocked it, catching his arm and whirling him into a submission-lock, before striking his elbow with his palm at a force that would have _liquefied_ human bone...but was only enough to send _him_ flying. As Juggernaut recovered, Superman unleashed a blast of his gale-breath, slamming Marko into the wall.

Marko laughed as he shook it off, before rushing Superman again. Easily, Superman evaded him. '_With the level of power I'm using, he's **much** stronger,_' he thought, '_but he's nowhere **near** as fast as I am. Plus, he's grounded. All that can work to my advantage; if I try to out-muscle him, the Professor could get hurt._"

As Juggernaut rushed him, Superman went for his ankles in a double-tripping strike, sending Cain flying towards the wall, his own "unstoppable" momentum working against him. But instead of striking the wall, Cain turned in mid-air, springing off the wall, coming right at Superman, slamming _him_ against the wall. Juggernaut slammed him with a few punches to the back, before catching him in his arms to crush him. "_I'm gonna squash you like a **bug**!!_"

The punches hadn't hurt him, and Cain would have a hard time crushing him...which gave Superman the idea to use one of his advantages. "Funny thing about bugs, Marko," he said, "they _fly_!!"

With that, he rose ten feet off the ground, taking Juggernaut with him...and began to _spin_. And _spin_. And _spin_, until he was a blur in the air, spinning to produce g-force of _well_ over 1000 times normal gravity.

In a matter of seconds, Juggernaut was ingloriously tossed off, landing flat on his rear.

"Marko, you _idiot_!!"

Superman scowled, as he turned to see Mystique, standing in the wrecked entrance to the Danger Room. '_Should've known._' he thought.

"What did you do to Cerebro?!" Mystique screeched. "You _squashed_ it!!"

"Not my problem!!" Juggernaut yelled, rushing at Superman, who was just touching down. He swung at Superman, who countered the punch and threw Marko across the room.

Juggernaut quickly got up. "Nobody's ever gone head-to-head with me _this_ long!" he laughed. "You're this 'Superman' that everyone talks about, aren't you?! I can tell, junior; you're _holding back!!_"

He swung again, and Superman blocked it, before knocking Juggernaut back with a palm-strike to his torso. Juggernaut just laughed. "_Big mistake!_" he laughed. "I _don't_ hold back!" He charged at Superman, feinting left, and slamming him with a right-cross. "I hear that you like to _save_ people! You're so busy _caring_ about people, that you don't want to _risk_ cutting loose! Well, that ain't _my_ problem, runt! _I don't CARE!!_"

Superman got up, shaking off the impact. "Why don't you just quit sand-bagging me, kid; you're not gonna beat me at this rate!" Juggernaut bellowed. "_What the hell are you waiting for?!_"

Suddenly, a bright red optic-blast struck him from behind, knocking him off balance.

Superman grinned. "_That_."

Juggernaut turned...and saw both the X-Men and the Brotherhood there, all in uniform, ready for battle. "Sorry we're late, Superman." Cyclops said.

Superman chuckled. "Better late than never!" he joked.

"X-Men: Juggernaut is vulnerable to psychic attacks!" the Professor said. "Aim for the five latches on his helmet; get his helmet off!"

Roaring, Juggernaut ran at the assembled teams, but Toad fired a slime-glob, coating his face, blinding him. As Cain roared in fury, trying to get the hardened sludge off, Spyke fired a bone-spear-salvo, knocking open one of the five latches.

Juggernaut was _all_ rage as he ripped the slime off, ready to _flatten_ Toad...when Blob barreled into him, knocking him aside. "Unstoppable, huh? Well, meet the _immovable_!"

Juggernaut turned to slam Blob...when Jean lifted him off the floor with her TK. After a few seconds, her grip started to weaken. "I...I can't hold him..."

"No problem, Jean!" Cyclops said, and he opened fire with his optic-blasts, sending Juggernaut flying, the impact enhanced due to Marko' immobility. As Juggernaut landed, Nightcrawler 'ported in, and opened a second latch.

Before Juggernaut could grab Nightcrawler, Superman darted over and slammed him with a punch, sending him flying as Nightcrawler flipped away, unharmed. As Juggernaut stumbled away, recovering, Quicksilver darted over, snapping open the third latch.

As Juggernaut reached for Quicksilver, Avalanche generated a sinkhole, trapping Juggernaut, as Storm hovered above him, unleashing lightning bolts, stunning Juggernaut...allowing Shadowcat and Rogue – who'd coped Shadowcat's powers – to phase through him and snap open the remaining latches.

At once, Superman inhaled and unleashed his gale-breath as soon as his teammates were clear...blowing the helmet clean off. "All yours, Professor!" he declared.

That was all that the Professor needed. He focused, closing his eyes; pulses of psychic force seemed to ripple the air as Xavier unleashed his telepathic powers on Juggernaut. Cain Marko howled in agony as Xavier simply shut his conscious brain off. Juggernaut struggled towards Xavier, trying to reach him...and passed out just as he'd gripped his collar.

It was over.

Cyclops looked at the X-Men and the Brotherhood. "You know, we make a pretty good team." he observed.

Avalanche shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hmpf. Now _there's_ something you don't see every day." Mystique muttered.

"Yes." Xavier agreed, smiling. "Pity."

"Let's _go_." Mystique said to the Brotherhood, and she walked away. Slowly, one by one, the Brotherhood followed her.

Superman and the X-Men could only watch them go. "Why are they leaving?" Shadowcat asked. "We totally kicked butt, together! Why can't we all be on the same team?"

Superman smiled. "We all _will_ be, Kitty." he said. "Someday."

A few minutes after Mystique and the Brotherhood had left, S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives moved in, including General Nick Fury himself, to pick up Juggernaut. "General." Charles greeted.

"Professor." General Fury replied. He glanced to the X-Men. "Interesting roster you have there."

Charles smiled. "They saved my life, General. I wouldn't trade them for the _world_." At that, the X-Men all smiled at the praise from their mentor.

Then, Fury glanced to Superman. "So, you're that kid that Rogers mentioned in his report." he said. "You actually took Marko head-on?"

Superman shrugged. "I just planned to delay him until the others could arrive." he said.

Fury looked him over. "You fought Marko toe-to-toe...and you don't have a _scratch_." he replied. "That's a damn spooky notion, kid."

Superman looked concerned. "No-one has to be afraid of me, sir." he said. "I always try to use my abilities to help people."

"I'm not disputing that. We've monitored some of the situations you've handled." Fury replied. "I'm sure you _do_ want to help. However, the feeling I get from looking at you is the same feeling I get from looking at a _nuke_; even though you _know_ it'll – hopefully – be used for a good purpose, the thought of what it _could_ do is damn frightening."

Charles noticed that Superman looked a tiny bit hurt, though he concealed it well. "General," he said, "I can vouch for Superman; you have nothing to worry about..."

"I _do_ trust him, Professor, but only as much as I trust _anyone_." Fury countered.

By then, Wolverine had recovered. "And Fury here never trusts _anyone_ completely." he said, chuckling.

General Fury half-smiled. "I thought I saw you back there." he said. To Superman, he added, "Truth be told, son, I _like_ what you're doing. However, seeing you is something that I would have to put in my official report...which would only ever be seen by the President, if he ever gets through all the backed-up S.H.I.E.L.D. reports that he still has to read. Thankfully, when S.H.I.E.L.D. was created, its Director – currently, me – was given full discretion in the field. So, officially, I'm going for plausible deniability."

"In other words, we're not having this conversation." Charles said.

Fury half-smiled, arching a snowy eyebrow. "_What_ conversation?" he asked. To Superman, he added, "_Unofficially_, and as off-the-record as I can say this, keep up the good work, son." He looked to the X-Men. "That goes for _all_ of you." With that, he turned to go...but not before saying, "Oh, and Logan? The _next_ time you and Steve decide to catch up, spend your _own_ money!"

By then, Fury's agents had collected the unconscious form of Juggernaut, and loaded him into their vehicle. General Fury promptly headed into the modified minivan, and drove away, as the Professor, the X-Men, and Superman began to assess the damage to the Institute.

"You're certain of this?"

Magneto had nearly had a heart-attack as both Mystique and his son told him what had recently transpired, as they met with him in his secret base. "I'm _certain_, Lensherr." Raven said. "I saw Superman go head-to-head with Marko, and he was holding his own. Marko even commented that Superman was _holding_ _back_."

Magneto felt himself go pale. '_Even Juggernaut couldn't stop him..._' he thought. He'd once considered freeing his daughter – he wasn't fond of the idea, but he'd considered it – to counter Superman. Based on what he'd seen and heard, a fight between Wanda and Superman would be _extremely_ close.

Magneto smiled to himself. Could he have _really_ expected anything different from the Child of the Star, the prophesied leader of _Homo superior_, the man destined to unite all mutants?

"This is an intriguing development, Raven." Magneto mused aloud. "We will have to move soon; things are almost in place."

Pietro scowled. "You're going to recruit him, aren't you, Father?" he said bitterly.

Magneto glanced to Mystique, who nodded, and left the room, giving them time to talk. "What troubles you, Pietro?"

"Why _him?!_ Why do you want _him_ to lead us?! Why not _me?!_" Pietro shouted. "I'm your own _son_!! _I_ should be following your footsteps!!"

Magneto gently shushed his son's shouting. He understood why his son so hated Superman; he was sorely jealous, both of his power and his future role as leader of their people. "You _are_ my son, Pietro, and you will always have a place here. But Superman's destiny is to lead us; it is not my decision, but spoken in Destiny's prophecy. You know her veracity is unquestioned."

"It isn't fair." Pietro muttered. "If that prophecy _is_ true, then he isn't even one of us!!"

"True; he isn't." Magneto agreed. "_We_ are the next step in evolution, my son...but Superman is a few steps above _us_; one day, eons from now, we may be like _him_." His voice turned firm. "My decision stands."

Pietro bowed his head. "Yes, Father." he said glumly, before walking away.

Alone, Magneto turned to a panel blocked by a lead shutter, to view the only weapon he had against Superman.

He'd found it in one of the crashed meteors in Smallville, Kansas, after the meteor shower...which had undoubtedly brought Superman here. He could not find the child...but he hadn't left empty-handed.

He opened the panel, allowing the toxic-green glow of the crystalline space-rock to bathe the room. '_You will fulfill your destiny soon, Superman,_' Magneto thought, '_I will make **sure** of it._'

_Author's Note: And the plot thickens. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock!_


	12. Family

CHAPTER ELEVEN: FAMILY

_Xavier Institute, April 26, 2007_

Night had fallen over all of Bayville, including the Institute. All of the inhabitants of the stately Institute were sound asleep...except one.

In the underground hangar, Clark, in his uniform, was doing the last few tests of the _Krypton_'s systems, his nightly patrol already done; he was checking life-support, propulsion, communications, the Trans-Warp Drive..._everything_.

Tomorrow was the big day; the _Krypton_'s – and his – first Trans-Warp flight.

It had taken him months, but the ship was finally ready to fly. The plan was that he and Logan – in the Blackbird – would fly out over the Atlantic, far from prying eyes, and Clark would launch the _Krypton_ from the Blackbird's cargo bay; he'd designed a system that would let the Blackbird simply drop the _Krypton_ in mid-air, at which point the ship's thrusters would ignite, and the _Krypton_ would reach escape velocity...before engaging the Trans-Warp Drive. Clark would do a short Trans-Warp burn towards Mars, followed by an hour of deceleration for insertion into a stable orbit around the Red Planet. He would then exit the ship, and descend for a quick fly-by and soil-and-atmosphere sample. He would then return to the _Krypton_, and engage a Trans-Warp burn to Jupiter, followed by an hour of slow-down, to do the same on Jupiter. Once he returned to the _Krypton_, he would turn the ship around and burn back to Earth, for rendezvous with the Blackbird in mid-air.

By then, Clark had finished the tests – all green. Putting his electronic instruments aside, Clark decided to test the nano-suit he'd built for this occasion. He tapped a button on his belt buckle, activating the suit.

Instantly, the little nano-bots contained in a small compartment in the buckle stirred to life, spreading across his body; to an observer, it appeared that a coating of silvery liquid metal was spreading over him. The nano-bots easily integrated with his uniform, turning the blue and red into a single shade of silver, the crest of the House of El now a white 'S' in a silver diamond outlined in white, his belt now silver, as well. The nano-bots turned his boots white, and formed gloves as they coated his hands. Even his cape went silver as the nano-bots coated it. As the little machines reached his head, they formed a sleek, streamlined silver helmet around his head, with a large space for his face, enabling him to see easily. Then, the nano-bots completed the package by generating a hard-light visor-field over that space.

Clark smiled behind his visor; the suit was working perfectly. The scanners in the helmet seemed to be working at 100 percent efficiency, flawlessly feeding data to the visor-screen. The radiation filters were working flawlessly, filtering out only potentially harmful – harmful to humans, anyway – radiation, letting normal sunlight through, so it wouldn't dampen his powers. It was ready to use.

"Hey, Clark, are you all ready for..._whoa!!_"

Clark chuckled at Scott's reaction as the X-Men field leader walked into the hangar, in a white t-shirt and blue shorts. He tapped his belt, shutting off the helmet, the nano-bots disassembling from around his head, melding with the ones covering his body. "Sorry about that." he said. "I was just testing the nano-suit for tomorrow. Anyway, what are you doing up?"

Scott grinned sheepishly, holding up a half-full glass of chocolate milk. "Thirsty." he explained. "So, I guess you're pretty much ready for your little outing, tomorrow?"

Clark nodded. "The _Krypton_'s good to go." he said.

"Good to hear." Scott said. He chuckled. "Wish we could go with you."

"Well, maybe someday." Clark said. "But for now, I think it's best if I go alone; Trans-Warp could be dangerous, and if the worst case-scenario happens, I can survive in vacuum."

"Yeah, you're right." Scott agreed. His expression turned a little sad. "I bet Alex would've loved to go." he whispered.

"Who?" Clark asked.

"My little brother." Scott said softly. "The last time I saw him, we were only kids. My Dad, he was an Air Force pilot; we were all taking a vacation to Hawaii: me, Alex, Mom and Dad." His expression became haunted. "Something went wrong; the plane Dad was flying started to lose altitude. Mom put me and Alex in parachutes and told us to bail out." He reached under his shirt, and pulled out a set of Air Force dog-tags around his neck. "Dad gave me his dog-tags; he told me to give them back to him when we met up on the ground. Then, Alex and I bailed out."

His fist clenched. "My chute failed; the last thing I saw before blacking out was Alex crying for me as I fell...and then I woke up in a hospital. The doctors told me that I was the only survivor of the crash."

Clark was silent for a few moments. "I'm so sorry." he said.

Scott half-shrugged. "Alex would've been about 15, now." he said. Then, he asked, "So, how long do you figure you're trip will take?"

"Oh, about five or six hours, once I break Earth's orbit." Clark replied.

Scott nodded to himself. "Five or six hours..." he whispered softly.

Clark arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering." Scott said. "Anyway, I'll just let you get back to work. 'Night." Then, Scott left the hangar, and Clark resumed his testing, before shutting off the suit and leaving the hangar, to get a bit of rest.

_Xavier Institute, April 27_

"Chuck, I need to talk to ya."

It was about mid-morning on Saturday when Logan finally worked up the resolve to talk to Xavier about what had been bugging him. All the kids were just relaxing after their Danger Room sessions, except Flyboy, who was loading his spaceship into the Blackbird for his little outing. "Of course, Logan." Charles said, as Logan walked into his office. "How can I help you?"

Logan sat down. "I need you to take a look inside my head." he said. "There's some stuff up here that's been bugging me for some time, now." '_And it's been givin' me nightmares._' he thought. Last night had been the worst one yet...

_...waking up in a tube full of green fluid..._

_...unimaginable pain, especially in his hands..._

_...Sabretooth laughing at him..._

_...running through snow..._

_...seeing his claws, and screaming in horror..._

Logan looked at his hands, remembering that last image. He was a mutant, and thus, his healing factor and heightened senses were natural, for him. But his adamantium skeleton, and his claws...they _weren't_. Someone had done that to him.

And he wanted to know _why_.

Charles looked regretful. "I am truly sorry, Logan," he replied, "but sometimes, the mind needs to work things out on its own. If I try to help you, I may end up doing more harm than good."

Logan frowned. "Someone _did_ this to me, Chuck." he said, extending his claws for emphasis, before retracting them. "It's been hanging over my head for years, now. It ain't coming back on its own, so I need a little help."

"I'm sorry, Logan," Charles said, "but if your mind is suppressing your memories of whatever happened to you, for _this_ long, trying to jostle them telepathically could be dangerous. The most important thing is that you're well and that you can think clearly. Perhaps it's best to let the past stay buried, at least for now."

Logan sighed. "Fine, fine." he grumbled.

Smiling, Xavier spoke with his mind: '_Does Clark suspect anything?_'

Logan half-smiled. Flyboy's senses were even more finely tuned than _his_, so they had to communicate this way in order to avoid being heard. '_Flyboy hasn't got a clue, Chuck._' he thought back. '_I heard him tell Scott that he was gonna be in space for five or six hours, once he gets underway._'

'_Five or six hours...that should be enough time._' Charles sent, smiling. Out loud, he added, "I suppose Clark will want to get going, soon."

Nodding, Logan said, "I'll go suit up. Wouldn't want Flyboy to miss his window of opportunity." With that, he got up, and headed out of Charles' office.

In the very back corner of the Blackbird, Kitty sat, in her street clothes, her laptop computer on her lap, typing away. She'd had to come here, as it was the only place where she could type in peace.

This morning, despite being Saturday, had been hectic. When she'd gotten up, still in her PJ's, she'd absent-mindedly phased through the bathroom door...only to be kicked out by an annoyed Rogue, in her pajamas, a hairbrush in hand, who'd told her that doors were often closed for a _reason_. Later, after dressing, Kitty had been typing a letter to her parents at the breakfast table, enjoying the quiet; the only other person in the room had been Mr. Logan, who'd been reading a newspaper.

And then, the other X-Men had come down for breakfast, and the silence was shot.

She'd tried typing in the living room, but Evan had just been 'spyking' a poster to the ceiling, and then just left after her complaint that it was a _public_ space...and then the poster had fallen over her head in the middle of typing.

She'd even tried typing in the branches of a tree outdoors, but Scott had been working on his car. That had been fine...until Scott turned up the volume on his car radio, almost causing Kitty to fall out of the tree.

Sighing, Kitty stopped typing, and began to read over what she'd typed.

'_Mom, Dad, it's great here at the Institute, but it's a little crowded sometimes, and that makes it a little hard to find a moment alone. We didn't talk much about it at Hanukkah when I visited, but there's a few more people at the Institute. I'll just tell you about everyone in our little family.'_

_'First, there's Scott, the team leader. He's pretty cool, but he can act so uptight sometimes...and then sometimes, he acts just like any guy his age._'

Kitty giggled to herself. She'd added that last bit after hearing Scott crank up his car radio. She continued on.

'_Next, there's Jean. You'd take one look at her and assume she's just 'Little Miss Perfect,' but she's really nice. Plus, she's pretty tough, when you consider the kind of strain her 'gift' can put her under._'

Kitty nodded to herself. Jean had once explained the difference between her telepathy and the Professor's. Professor Xavier had to work to get _into_ someone's mind; Jean had to work on keeping thoughts _out_.

That had given Kitty a whole new respect for her teammate.

'_Then there's Kurt. I told you about him, remember? He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met, and I'm proud to say that he doesn't creep me out anymore! In fact, we're pretty good friends...although it does kinda bug me when he just pops in without warning. He's really fun to be around...which kinda helps when Scott's in one of his serious moods._'

Kitty chuckled to herself. Kurt was always pulling pranks on everyone, but they were always in good humor; they always made everyone – even the victim – laugh...after they chased Kurt for a while, of course. The only student Kurt hadn't pranked was Clark...mostly due to the fact that Clark could see through walls and hear everything that Kurt plotted.

'_Next is my roommate, Rogue. She's okay, but she's kinda grouchy sometimes. That's probably due to her powers; if I had problems touching, I'd be grumpy, too._'

Kitty felt bad about saying that, and quickly did a rewrite. Rogue wasn't really a grouch; she just had a dry – an _incredibly_ dry – sense of humor, one which Kitty was learning to appreciate.

'_Then there's Evan. He's a pretty okay guy, if a little reckless, sometimes._'

That was true, Kitty admitted. Evan was a good guy, and he loved using his powers...maybe a bit too much. Kitty could tell that Evan wanted to just cut loose...but he – as well as everyone – knew what could happen if mutants were ever exposed.

'_And then, there's Clark – You-Know-Who! Clark's really cool, but he can be even more uptight than Scott, every now and then. But that's totally understandable! I mean, he has a lot to worry about with his...'job'. Plus, he does remember to have fun, every once in a while! I'm glad he's with us; who knows what would've happened if the Professor hadn't found him?_'

That thought made Kitty pause; if Clark had never been found by the X-Men, what would've happened? Kitty was sure that he would certainly be out helping people and saving the day...and people would be asking questions about him, and wondering if there were _other_ 'gifted' people in the world. But Kitty's main worry wasn't about being exposed; it was about Clark.

If he hadn't met them, who would remind him to have fun?

Clark was a great guy – in fact, he was the closest any guy would ever get to being "The _Perfect_ Guy" – but he could be too serious, sometimes. And Kitty couldn't fault him for that; he carried the weight of the _world_ on his shoulders.

A true Man of Steel.

But the sad fact was, if he hadn't met them, it was very likely that Clark would, ultimately, still be _alone_. He'd once told her that he'd felt that he could never find love on Earth, since he'd felt that he could never share his secret with any human woman...and Kitty could tell that he _still_ felt that way, to an extent. Without them, it was very likely that he would _completely_ alone.

'_Well, that'll **so** never happen, as long as we're here!_' Kitty thought. She smiled to herself; all she needed to do now was fix the Institute's resident superhero up with the right girl, someone who would be _good_ for him, who could help him loosen up just a bit.

But she'd worry about that later.

'_And then there are the teachers, here. First, there's Mr. Logan. He's okay, but he's a total loner; sometimes I think he'd be happier on his own than in a family. Miss Munroe is the complete opposite; she's the nicest person you'll ever meet. And finally, there's Professor Xavier, who more-or-less keeps everyone together, around here._'

And then, she'd caught up to where she'd stopped. Kitty sighed; she needed a good way to finish...

_Bamf!_ "Hi, Kitty!"

Shrieking in surprise, Kitty fell back...and then half-glared at Kurt, who'd just popped in unannounced. "Kurt!" she scolded. "I was writing! God, can't I just get _one_ moment alone, around here?"

"Sorry." Kurt said sheepishly. "I vas just going to tell you zat Clark und Herr Logan vere going to go launch Clark's ship, soon; ve'd better leave zhe Blackbird."

"Oh." Kitty said, closing her laptop. "When were they leaving?"

All of a sudden, the Blackbird shifted. Kurt grimaced. "I'd say...right about _now_."

Kitty looked stricken. "We're not supposed to be here!" she cried. "Oh, if Mr. Logan finds out..."

"Ve'd better keep quiet." Kurt said. Brightening, he added, "On zhe ozer hand, zhis means ve can vatch Clark's ship launch!"

Kitty half-smiled. "I guess so." she admitted. Then, Kurt silently walked towards the cockpit, to listen in, and Kitty followed.

Within a few minutes of departure, the Blackbird was out over the Atlantic Ocean, fast approaching the launch-point for the _Krypton_. Wolverine, in uniform, was at the Blackbird's main controls, and Superman was at the auxiliary control console, running some last-minute diagnostics on the _Krypton_'s systems. Superman was wearing the nano-suit over his uniform, with the helmet deactivated. "So, Flyboy, how's yer space hot-rod looking?" Wolverine inquired.

Chuckling, Superman replied, "The _Krypton_'s ready to fly, Wolverine."

"Good to know." Wolverine replied. Then, he paused. "Hang on; I'm getting a telepathic call from Chuck. Elf and Half-Pint are AWOL." He sniffed. "Funny; I'm getting their scent around here..."

Superman listened...and then smiled. "I think I can explain that." he said. He got up, walked to the cockpit door, and opened it.

Instantly, Kurt and Kitty toppled into the cockpit; they'd been listening. "We're sorry!" Kitty cried. "We didn't mean to stow away! I was just typing in the Blackbird, and Kurt just came to get me out, and then we never got off in time!"

Superman smiled. "Well, I don't think that's such a big deal." he said. "What about you, Wolverine?"

"Eh. I guess we can let 'em off the hook..._this_ time." Wolverine said. Then, a beeping sound came from the main control console. "Besides, we've got bigger worries, Flyboy; we're almost to the target. Time to get moving."

"Roger." Superman agreed, as he tapped his belt, extending the nano-suit's helmet over his head, before heading out of the cockpit, towards his ship.

"Good luck!" Kurt called.

"Be careful!" Kitty added.

"Thanks, and I will!" Superman replied, before continuing on.

Soon, Superman reached the cargo bay, where the sleek, silvery, torpedo-like Trans-Warp ship was stored. Tapping his belt, Superman opened the _Krypton_'s cockpit, the clear glass-plastic canopy sliding open; the canopy was _more_ than capable of withstanding vacuum. Settling in and buckling the straps over his chest, Superman tapped a key on the control console; instantly, the canopy closed, as the ship began pumping the air out of the cockpit, so that he could exit and enter the ship freely in deep space, avoiding explosive decompression. In seconds, the cockpit's atmosphere matched the vacuum of space.

"_Look alive, Flyboy. We're less than two minutes from the target._" Wolverine's voice came from the radio.

"Roger. Commencing final pre-flight check." Superman said. "Main propulsion status: green; communications: green; Trans-Warp Drive: green; defense shields: green; cooling systems: green; life support: green; overall status: green. Initializing delivery system." He tapped a few keys on the console.

Instantly, two steel cables with powerful magnetic clamps at the tips extended towards the _Krypton_, adhering to its hull; this was how the ship would be "dropped" before it launched. "_Confirmed; delivery system is active._" Wolverine said.

"Commencing primary ignition sequence; main engines standing by."

"_Acknowledged. We are thirty seconds to target._"

"Roger. Starting countdown: T-Minus thirty seconds." Superman said, tapping a few keys; at once, the main screen of the console, just below the Heads-Up Display on the canopy, showed a thirty-second timer, steadily counting down. "Relaying co-ordinates for re-entry and rendezvous."

"_Co-ordinates received. Commencing delivery._" Wolverine said, and the cargo bay doors opened, the cables paying out behind the Blackbird, letting the _Krypton_ trail behind it.

Superman smiled. "I'll see you all soon." he said.

He heard Wolverine chuckle. "_Roger that, Flyboy. Delivery in 3...2...1..._"

Instantly, the magnets on the cables detached, and the Blackbird, veered away, out of the _Krypton_'s path, reeling in the cables and closing the cargo hatch.

The _Krypton_'s timer kept counting down: 00:03...00:02...00:01...00:00...

...and then the ship's main thrusters ignited, with enough propulsion to force Superman back against his seat, even for a minute, as he held the controls, guiding the ship up through the atmosphere...and then leaving it, out into the black of space.

'_Wow._' Superman thought, as he looked out through the canopy, down at Earth. He'd seen Earth before, but it was a bit different, this time around. Then, he began entering the necessary calculations for the first Trans-Warp burn, towards Mars. Instantly, two sleek wings extended out from under the ship, as two small pylons extended back from the top, as the _Krypton_'s Trans-Warp Drive began to power up, the pylons energizing.

Superman quickly finished the calculations, as the ship's computer plotted a course between Earth and Mars, as well as targeting the spatial beacon of the Fortress of Solitude, so that he could easily find his way back. Then, he entered them, gripped the controls, and held on tight.

In less than an instant, the ship's pylons flared to life, and the _Krypton_ streaked away from Earth at trans-light speed.

Inside his ship, Superman could only hang on as the _Krypton_ blazed across space, inside a tunnel of swirling light...and then, it stopped, as the ship transitioned back into normal space, its wings and pylons retracting, still moving at impressive speeds...

...and there, dead ahead of him, was the Red Planet.

'_It worked! It worked!_' Superman mentally exclaimed, as he quickly entered the commands for insertion into a geo-synchronous orbit around Mars. It was a victory for Kryptonian craftsmanship and human science. Even though what he found on Mars – and Jupiter – would likely not see public eye for quite some time, it was a major step forward. He chuckled to himself. '_Boy, would Dr. Richards **love** to see whatever I find today._' he mused; Reed and Sue would _definitely_ have loved to have gone on this little expedition.

The _Krypton_'s autopilot engaged, Superman briefly looked back at the speck that was Earth in the distance, where his friends – his family – who had helped make this possible, were.

He wondered what they were doing, now.

As Flyboy's ship flew off, Wolverine turned the Blackbird around, heading for the Institute. "Well, there he goes." Kitty said, as she looked at the rapidly fading shape of the ship, the _Krypton_.

"Ve'd better get back quickly." Kurt said. "Ve haven't got much time!"

"I'm goin' as fast as I can, Elf." Wolverine said. "We've got _plenty_ of – "

And then it happened.

"_ARRRGGGHHH!!!_" Wolverine howled, clutching his head; his brain felt like it was _on fire!_

"M-Mr. Logan?!" Kitty cried. "What's wrong?!"

Wolverine didn't know why, but his head was filling with..._impulses_, urges to kill, to maim...

...to _hunt mutants_.

"_GET TO THE CARGO BAY!!_" he ordered, with possibly his last lucid breath; the cargo bay was reinforced with multiple steel plating – even with adamantium claws, it'd take hours for him to dig through...hopefully long enough for Chuck to figure out something was wrong and rescue the kids. "_DO IT **NOW**!!_"

Thankfully, the kids didn't argue, and when they left, he locked the cockpit door behind them, keeping himself in. Thankfully, their leaving caused the homicidal tendencies in his head to go quiet, as new imperatives filled his brain. Something was commanding him to...to...

...go _north_.

Wolverine, in a trance, re-programmed the autopilot, turning the Blackbird into a course heading to northern Canada. Soon, the Blackbird landed at the co-ordinates specified. Wolverine left the Blackbird, lumbering off, to find the one who'd summoned him.

_Northern Canada_

As the sun began to set over the snow-covered woods of Canada's far north, Sabretooth was on the prowl.

He'd been hunting around these parts, honing his skills for the next time he and Logan faced off...or the next time he saw that flying kid, that 'Superman' that Mags was so damned determined to recruit.

Victor gritted his teeth; he could still feel that little punk's fist slam into his ribs, not to mention hitting the ground after his little nose-dive from ten thousand feet, courtesy of Superman's uppercut. '_When I get my hands on you, you little..!!_'

Sabretooth suddenly roared, as a searing pain filled his head, and another will imposed itself on him, superceding his own. Slowly, Victor began to lumber off, guided by an unknown voice, towards an unknown destination.

As expected, within an hour, the _Krypton_ had inserted itself into geo-synchronous orbit around Mars. After entering the commands to keep the ship in a stable orbit around the planet, Superman took a soil/atmosphere sampling cylinder from a side panel in the cockpit, clipped it to his belt, and then unbuckled from the chair, and opened the canopy, floating out into space, the canopy sealing behind him.

Flying towards Mars' outer atmosphere, Superman stopped at its very edge. He was about to venture onto another planet, another _world_, something that no man in this star system – human, mutant, or alien – had yet accomplished. Taking a deep breath, Superman flew into Mars' atmosphere, down towards the Red Planet.

The Red Planet lived up to its name; as he breached the upper layer of dust, Superman could see red everywhere: red soil, red mountains...even the sky was red with dust. '_Iron oxide,_' Superman thought, '_this place is **literally** rusting._'

Flying low, Superman passed over a long range of mighty mountains, and then over a deep canyon; both were truly impressive sights, and Superman was glad that the recorder in his nano-suit's helmet was working, sending data to the ship – he _definitely_ wanted his friends to see this, to experience the beauty of this world. Flying low, Superman slowed his flight enough to scoop up a soil sample in his cylinder, and then taking an atmospheric sample, before sealing the cylinder to begin the cylinder's on-board quarantine-analysis, making sure that he wasn't bringing any potentially dangerous pathogens back; if there was anything in the soil, he could drop it at the Fortress for safe sterilization.

Clipping the cylinder to his belt, Superman flew around Mars, taking in all the sights. He flew around for about an hour and a half, before he arrived at the last sight he would take in before leaving.

_Olympus Mons_, or 'Mount Olympus,' one of the largest mountains on Mars, named after the home of the mythical Olympian gods of ancient Greece. Superman flew to the top of the mighty mountain, landing upon its summit, looking around. The view was incredible.

His visit complete, Superman flew up through the dusty sky, and back out into space, passing by Mars' two satellites, _Phobos_ and _Deimos_, before he rejoined the _Krypton_, tapping his belt to open the canopy, and buckling in, the canopy closing behind him. Placing the filled cylinder in its slot on the side panel, Superman grasped the controls, breaking orbit around Mars and heading further out into space. He quickly typed in the calculations for a Trans-Warp burn to Jupiter, as the _Krypton_'s wings and pylons re-extended. Entering the commands, Superman held on, and the _Krypton_ jumped to trans-light speed for a few seconds, before coming out, powering down the Trans-Warp Drive, resuming normal propulsion, with the largest planet, Jupiter, in sight.

'_Boy, it's a shame that the others had to miss this._' Superman thought. '_Poor Kitty and Kurt are probably bored out of their minds..._'

It was a full hour after the Blackbird had landed before Kitty nervously phased her head through the cargo bay door, looking around. Phasing completely through, she looked around the craft.

No sign of Wolverine.

Phasing back into the cargo bay, she opened the door. "All clear, Kurt. Mr. Logan's not here."

"Phew! Vell _zat's_ a relief!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Not _really_, Fuzzy!" Kitty cried. "Without him, we can't get home!"

"Oh...right." Kurt said. "I guess ve'd better go look for him."

Kitty nodded, as she got out the spare uniform in the on-board change room, Kurt doing the same. "Hopefully, he's cooled off by now." she said, as she darted in to change, Kurt going elsewhere to change. After suiting up, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat left the Blackbird, and began to look for their missing instructor.

When Wolverine came to, the first thing he noticed was that his head felt like Juggernaut had been tap-dancing on it. Looking around, he saw that he was in a scientific facility...

...an _eerily familiar one_.

Then, he growled as he saw Sabretooth a few feet away, looking just as out of it as he was. Creed growled back, but it was only a half-hearted growl like his was. As much as they hated each other, neither of them felt up to _really_ acting on that hatred...

"Ah, up and about, I see."

Looking around, Wolverine saw a spindly bald guy in a white lab coat, with dark goggles over his eyes, behind a sheet of glass, various computers behind him. Snarling, Wolverine lunged at him...

The scientist smirked, and tapped a button on an electronic device.

Wolverine howled in agony, convulsing in mid-lunge. "We'll have none of that, Weapon X." he said.

"What...did you..._do_ to us?!" Wolverine snarled, as his convulsion slowly stopped.

"Oh, come now, Victor, Logan, _surely_ you're wondering about your...enhancements? Your unbreakable adamantium skeletons?" the scientist asked. "Project Weapon X was meant to produce the ultimate mutant-slayers; my superiors made quite the financial investment in you two...and now it's time to see...a _return_ on that investment."

"No deal, Poindexter!" Creed snarled. "The only jobs I take are _paying_ ones! I don't do freebies!"

The scientist chuckled. "Oh, you think you have a _choice_!" he laughed. "Victor, during your enhancements, we inserted a computer chip into both your brains to ensure your compliance, in the event you both decided not to cooperate." With that, he tapped the device again.

Wolverine and Sabretooth both erupted in howls of agony, their wills being assaulted and undermined by another will. Just then, a console behind the scientist beeped, causing him to turn. "Well, how fortunate." he chuckled. "We have two test-subjects. Care for some practice, boys?"

Sabretooth smiled gleefully, but Wolverine saw who it was on the computer screen: Elf and Half-Pint. "_No._" he grunted.

The scientist frowned, twisted a dial, and hit the button, causing Wolverine to scream in utter agony, his own will being suppressed. After his howls ceased, Sabretooth chuckled cruelly.

Even under mind-control, Creed was a sadistic bastard.

"Now," the scientist ordered, tapping a button to open a nearby door, "_go!!_" At that, Wolverine and Sabretooth ran out, to complete their task.

It took an hour for the _Krypton_ to insert into a stable orbit around Jupiter.

Looking out through the ship's canopy, Superman saw the swirling atmosphere of the mighty gas-giant, as well as its many moons, the closest one being the highly volcanic satellite, Io. Taking another sample cylinder, Superman unbuckled from the cockpit and opened the canopy, flying down into the swirling atmosphere.

As he entered the atmosphere, Superman activated the scanners of his nano-suit, and was surprised. His scanners revealed that there were multiple discrete layers to the atmosphere, varying in density: an outer, less dense gas-layer, much less dense than Earth's atmosphere; a denser layer over 5000 feet below that, twice as dense as Earth's atmosphere; and a third, incredibly dense, liquid layer, even denser than the Dead Sea.

But that hadn't been what had surprised him.

Superman had just enough time to get out of the way...of a huge flock of _bird-like grey creatures_. These creatures flitted past him, letting out tiny squeak-like cries. Superman was amazed. '_How do they survive?_' he thought. There was no liquid water, no apparent food...

...and then his suit's scanners told all; the scanners were picking up reactions going on in the creatures' bodies. They were oxidizing hydrogen sulphide and other chemicals in the atmosphere. '_They're chemo-synthesizers..._' Superman marveled. But there had to be some way of reducing the by-products, to keep this food-chain running...

Once again, his scanners told the tale, as they picked up the presence of tiny organisms in this layer, which were taking in the by-products of this process, reducing them, and releasing hydrogen sulphide and other substances, including methane.

Perfect balance.

Still, there had to be some way of controlling this population, Superman mused, or else there would be _billions_ of them...

"_Snnnnrrreeeeyaarrrkkkk!!!_"

Superman quickly darted out of the way as two massive winged creatures darted past him at breakneck speeds, heading right for the "birds." These creatures were _enormous_, with a wingspan over fifty feet long, with no apparent eyes or mouth, only a cylindrical "head" with jagged mouthparts, and a short tail at the back, with four spherical chambers in their wings, two in each wing. At once, the flock scattered, forcing these two mighty avian predators to pick only one of them.

Which they did.

One mighty beast skewed one "bird" in its mouthparts, flying off, sucking the fluids from it, before dropping it into the path of the other, who did the same. This pattern was repeated numerous times, before the predators simply let the unlucky prey fall, flying off.

Superman followed these creatures, fascinated. '_A co-ordinated hunting pattern...they're obviously intelligent_.' he thought. '_They might be a mated pair...though which is male or female is **anyone's** guess, if they even **use** opposite sexes. But how do they fly? They're much too heavy to rely on wing-beats like conventional birds, not in atmosphere of this density; plus, their wings don't even flap!_'

But then his scanners picked up something about those chambers on their wings; as they flew, the chambers took in methane gas...where it was _combusted_. That combustion gave them enough propulsion to generate the lift they needed to stay airborne! '_They're living jet-planes!_'

Then, the two predators dove into the second layer, and Superman followed them. He got close enough to hear one creature emit a strange call; not the fierce shriek of its hunt, but a softer, gentler call.

Seconds later, a tiny, bleating cry answered it...as a smaller version of the creature flew up; a _baby_. '_They **are** mates, then._' Superman thought, smiling. '_And this is their baby._'

The baby, though not nearly the size of its parents, was quite big, as large as Superman was, in terms of mass. Its flight-chambers were not fully formed, only producing less than a quarter of the propulsion that its parents were capable of, but in this denser layer, it didn't need as much; it stayed there, safe, while its parents hunted.

The baby bleated as it flew close to its parents, who emitted soft, soothing noises. The baby flew above one parent, and then touched down on its back, close to its "head." The parent softly crooned, and then extended a tube from its mouthparts, which extended back to the baby, who took it in its own developing mouthparts, and started suckling.

It was _nursing_, being fed part of the kill from the hunt.

After suckling for a minute, the baby flew off, before landing on the other parent, who offered its own feeding-tube, which the baby happily accepted. '_**Both** parents care for their child._' Superman thought, smiling. It made sense, since this looked to be their only child; only one offspring was produced, but it was well cared for, making it very likely to survive to adulthood.

By then, the baby had suckled its fill, and flew off, squeaking happily, flying between its parents, who nuzzled it with their wing-tips, as well as touching wing-tips with each other. Just then, the baby let out a surprised squeak.

It had noticed him.

The baby broke off its flight, and flew towards him, circling him, letting out tiny squeaks. The parents soon followed, circling him warily, studying him; clearly, they didn't know what to make of him.

'_I know the feeling._' Superman thought with a smile. By then, the baby was gently poking him with its wing-tips. Chuckling, Superman gently reached out and petted the baby on the back, causing it to _thrum_ like a happy cat.

The nervous parents inched closer, emitting sounds, warning their child away. Superman simply watched as the small family flew away, the parents flying protectively close to their baby.

Flying lower, Superman soon came to the lowermost layer. His suit's scanners told him that it was rich in bacteria, with traces of decomposing matter in it. Now he had the complete food-chain; the "birds" fed on hydrogen sulphide, who were preyed on by those predators, who both excreted waste gases for micro-organisms in the upper layer, and in turn died and fell into the bottom layer, to be broken down into gases for the upper microbes, who produced hydrogen sulphide and methane.

Taking out his cylinder, Superman took a tiny sample of the bottom layer, then a tiny sample of the middle layer, and then flew up to take a tiny sample of the upper layer, before flying out into space, meeting up with the _Krypton_ and getting back into the ship. As he put the cylinder away, he smiled to himself.

This little voyage had been _amazing_.

Promptly typing the commands necessary, Superman turned the ship around, to head home. Entering the last calculations, he held on as the _Krypton_ extended its wings and pylons, before accelerating to Trans-Warp for a few seconds, before coming out of Trans-Warp, retracting its wings and pylons, with Earth in view.

Immediately, Superman began to enter the commands to begin re-entry, to meet up with the Blackbird over the Atlantic. He hoped they were ready...

Shadowcat and Nightcrawler had been searching the woods for the past two or three hours, with no sign of Wolverine. '_Superman had to pick **today** to go into space._' Shadowcat mentally lamented; his hearing could've helped, not to mention his strength, in case Mr. Logan hadn't shaken off whatever craziness that had taken hold of him.

Shadowcat shivered as the woods got dark, both from the cold, and from how this place was getting _spooky_. "Do you see anything, Kurt?"

"Nein." Nightcrawler replied. "I don't see Herr Logan any – hold on! Zhere he is!"

Quickly, Nightcrawler ran into the woods, Shadowcat following him. Before long, they could see Wolverine. "Mr. Logan, we were so worried..." Shadowcat began, but stopped, as she realized that something was wrong. Wolverine seemed to be in some kind of trance...

...with _Sabretooth standing right next to him_.

"Oh, man," Nightcrawler cried, "it looks like someone made a new friend!"

"But...but they're mortal _enemies_!" Shadowcat cried.

"_Ja! Ours!_" Nightcrawler exclaimed. Then, he only had a few seconds to leap out of the way as Sabretooth lunged at him.

Shadowcat shrieked, phasing herself as Wolverine pounced, passing right through her. "Mr. Logan, please, whatever's happening to you, we can _help_!" she exclaimed. Wolverine snarled, and ran at her...

"Zat's it! Ve're out of here!" Nightcrawler declared. He quickly grabbed Shadowcat's arm, and 'ported them both out of there.

Nightcrawler's 'port deposited them in the branches of a tall tree. "Phew...I vasn't sure I could 'port vith more zhan one person." he said.

Shadowcat smiled. "Thanks, Fuzzy."

"No problem." Nightcrawler replied. "But vat made Herr Logan go off zhe deep end?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's affecting Sabretooth, too." Shadowcat said. Chuckling, she added, "Not that he had far to go."

Suddenly, the tree they were in lurched violently. Looking down, Shadowcat gasped in horror as she saw Wolverine, slashing the tree down with his claws. "_Hang on!_" Nightcrawler cried, as he 'ported them both to another tree. He kept 'porting them from tree to tree, as Wolverine followed them on the ground...until Shadowcat lost her footing, sending her tumbling to the ground, landing in a patch of snow in a clearing...with a cliff behind her, and with the insane Wolverine closing on her, deadly claws extended.

Shadowcat gulped. "Please, Mr. Logan, snap out of it!" she pleaded. Wolverine kept advancing, a feral growl coming from his throat. Nightcrawler 'ported in behind him, ready to attack...

Wolverine's expression shifted, the rage fading, before it came back.

That was all Shadowcat needed to see. "Mr. Logan, it's me, remember? Kitty? Half-Pint?" she said. "I know that they've got you all tweaked out of control, but I also know that you're fighting it." She took a deep breath as Wolverine drew closer. "You can _win_, Mr. Logan. Please, don't give up."

Wolverine just snarled, his claws inches from her face.

Shadowcat lightly sniffled. "Do you _really_ want to hurt me, Mr. Logan?" she whispered.

Those words seemed to reach him; Wolverine's expression softened. "N..._No_..." he choked out, his claws slowly retracting. "K...Kit...Kitty..."

Shadowcat smiled, and hugged her teacher. "Yes, it's me!" she exclaimed. "I knew you could do it!"

Wolverine looked grim. "I know where to go." he said. "I know where to find the place where...this was done to me." With that, he headed back into the woods, with Shadowcat and Nightcrawler following.

Before too long, Wolverine had led them to a high-tech facility, deep in the woods. As they headed into the main laboratory, Wolverine howled in agony, clutching his head. Then, a new voice spoke: "It was not wise to come here, young mutants."

Looking around, Shadowcat spied a creepy-looking scientist glaring at them. "_What did you do to Mr. Logan?!_" Shadowcat yelled.

The scientist smirked. "Project Weapon X was designed to produce the perfect mutant-slayers." he said, causing Shadowcat's eyes to go wide. "We found it appropriate, using one of _you_ to destroy you all."

"Mein Gott," Nightcrawler whispered, "you...you did _zat_ to him? To a human being..?"

"_Nothing about you creatures is human!!_" the scientist exploded. "Your kind are a plague upon this world!" He cackled gleefully. "And I've developed a _vaccine_! Wolverine, Sabretooth..._kill_ them."

At that, Sabretooth walked into view, smiling cruelly. He was about to pounce...

"_NO!!!_" Wolverine howled, and he lunged at Sabretooth, slashing him with his claws.

Shadowcat looked around the lab; one of these gizmos had to be the one controlling Wolverine. "Up for some sabotage, Kurt?"

"_Jawohl!_" Nightcrawler exclaimed, and he 'ported to the nearest control console, randomly pushing buttons and twisting dials.

"_STOP IT!!_" the scientist yelled, running at Kurt, who 'ported away.

Shadowcat giggled. "_This_ is how you do it, Kurt!" she exclaimed, as she ran towards the electronic equipment, phasing through every single console.

One of the side-effects of her powers was that she could short out any electronic device that she phased through; it had to do with interrupting the flow of electrons, though she couldn't remember the specifics, right now. All that mattered was the end result.

Almost instantly, the consoles began to spark, bursting into flames. "_**NO**!!!!_" the scientist cried.

Like magic, both Wolverine and Sabretooth snapped out of their trances. They glowered at each other...but quickly took notice of the flames spreading through the lab. "We can finish this _later_, Creed!" Wolverine said; surprisingly, Sabretooth didn't argue. "Let's go!" Wolverine said to Shadowcat and Nightcrawler, and they all ran for the exit.

"_YOU RUINED IT!!_" the scientist howled, as he made for the emergency exit. "_YOU RUINED IT ALL!!!!_"

Wolverine just stopped, scowling at him. "Project Weapon X has just been _terminated_." he growled, before following the others out.

The smoke from the fire was visible by the time they all returned to the Blackbird. Shadowcat and Nightcrawler began to get on, but stopped as they saw Wolverine and Sabretooth glaring at each other. His eyes narrowing, Wolverine slowly extended his claws.

Sabretooth sneered. "Another time, Short-Stuff...when I'm in the _mood_."

Wolverine retracted his claws. "Fine by me, 'Tooth, so take a hike."

"Gladly." With that, Sabretooth walked off.

Nightcrawler blinked. "So...is zat his vay of saying 'zhank you'?"

Wolverine chuckled. "It's the closest 'Tooth's ever gonna get to one." he said. "Now, we've still gotta meet up with Flyboy, so let's get moving." With that, he boarded the Blackbird, and Shadowcat and Nightcrawler followed. Soon after, the Blackbird took off, heading out towards the ocean.

Within the hour, the Blackbird was out over the Atlantic. "Ve're approaching zhe rendezvous point." Nightcrawler reported.

"Roger." Wolverine said, and he switched on the radio. "Blackbird calling _Krypton_, over."

Static.

"I repeat, _Krypton_, this is Blackbird; please respond." Wolverine repeated. "You there, Flyboy?"

"_Blackbird, this is Krypton. I'm on your five, eighty degrees above the horizontal. Give me some room; I'm coming in a little hotter than expected._"

"Copy that." Wolverine replied, and he switched on the rear camera, allowing them to see Superman's ship as it descended, before turning the Blackbird to align it with the _Krypton_.

Then, the could see it: a blazing red object rapidly approaching the Blackbird. Then, retro-firing thrusters built into the ship's nose-cone began firing, slowing its descent, as numerous cables began to trail behind the _Krypton_, expanding once they were out, to bleed off the heat of re-entry, as well as increase the drag on the ship, slowing it.

Soon, the _Krypton_'s flight-path was level behind the Blackbird, as the ship was starting to cool, its cooling-cables shrinking and retracting back into it. "_Blackbird, we're good to go for docking._"

"Roger. Extending docking cables." Wolverine said, tapping a few keys. The Blackbird began to slow, its cargo hatch opening, the magnetic-tipped cables trailing behind it. As they got close to the _Krypton_, they adhered to its hull, and began to reel in the spaceship.

In minutes, the _Krypton_ was inside the cargo bay, the hatch closing, as the Blackbird turned to head home. Wolverine quickly engaged the autopilot. "Tell Flyboy that _he_ can fly this bird home," he said, "'cause I'm _beat_." With that, he passed out.

Quickly, Shadowcat got up, and headed for the Cargo bay, followed by Nightcrawler. She opened the door to the bay...and had to stop, as the _Krypton_ was still quite hot. She saw the ship hiss as pressure was equalized, and Superman hopped out, still in his space-suit. Tapping his belt, he switched off his helmet, quickly giving the ship a cooling gust of ice-breath, before smiling at them. "Guys," he said, "you won't _believe_ what happened, up there!"

"_We_ won't?!" Kitty laughed. "Clark, _you_ won't believe what happened, down _here_!" Then, she smiled sheepishly. "But...do you know how to fly the Blackbird?"

Superman shrugged. "Shouldn't be much harder than flying a space-ship." he thought aloud. "Why?"

Gesturing for him to follow them, Kitty said, "That's kind of a long story..."

Looking among the ruins of the lab, the director of Project Weapon X could only let out a soft sob. So many years of research, gone...

Suddenly, the sound of helicopter blades cut the air, as a jet-black helicopter landed before him. The hatch opened, and a man, in his late twenties or early thirties, with short, light brown hair, and cold blue eyes, in a black business suit, stepped out.

The director trembled as the man surveyed the wreckage...his eyes narrowing as his gaze fixed on him. "This is quite a surprise." he said dangerously. "I was told a day ago of the plan to retrieve the subjects." He gestured to the ruins. "You can imagine my surprise as I saw this from the air."

"I...I know how bad this looks, sir," the director stammered, "b-but we can still retrieve them! I've memorized the tracking frequency of those chips! We can track them easily..."

"...if those chips are still active. Those mutants may have gotten wise after this little..._fiasco_." the man finished. "No, Doctor, we've decided to move on with our efforts. As amusing and ironic as it would be to have a _mutant_ mutant-slayer, we've decided to rely on less..._organic_ means. Simply put, Doctor, you and your project have been _terminated_."

The doctor was confused...until he felt the bullet from the silenced gun pierce his heart, killing him instantly.

The man removed the silencer from his firearm, before putting both weapon and silencer away. That had been necessary; the doctor's incompetence had been a liability even when the Weapon X project had been promising.

In the coming battle against mutants, incompetence was something that the organization couldn't afford.

The man scowled as he walked back to the helicopter. _Mutants_. They disgusted him. He'd honestly hoped that the two subjects were still there, because he had to get rid of one of them, to secure his position. Only _one_ slayer would have still been acceptable.

But now, there would be a better way to get rid of the mutant scum. And _then_, they could turn their efforts to eradicating the flying freak that zipped through the sky, playing hero. This world was meant for _humanity_.

Freaks and mutants had no place here. It was up to their organization to keep humanity _pure_.

"Your orders, sir?"

As he sat down and buckled in, Graydon Creed replied, "Get us out of here." At once, the pilot guided the helicopter into the air, heading away from the wreckage.

When Logan came to, he could see the face of Xavier, as well as Elf and Half-Pint, all staring down at him, smiling. "Ugh..." Logan groaned; his head was _killing_ him.

"Welcome back." Xavier greeted.

"We were so worried!" Half-Pint exclaimed, hugging him.

Just then, Logan saw Reed Richards, as well as his wife, walk over. "The Professor called us and told us about your predicament." Reed said. "We came as soon as we could."

"I believed that Reed was the only one capable of removing that chip from your brain." Xavier said.

Reed nodded. "In theory, it wasn't too difficult; though adamantium is indestructible to conventional methods, it is easily malleable once heated to a high enough temperature. I managed to design a laser-edged scalpel to heat the adamantium in your skull enough to cut it, allowing me to open a hole in your skull large enough to excise the chip. I then simply replaced the removed section and re-heated it to..."

"Reed." Susan said. "A little too much information."

"Oh. Right."

Just then, Flyboy and the other two members of the Fantastic Four walked in. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Superman greeted.

"Like Chuck's brother just performed 'Riverdance' in my skull." Logan muttered. "I'll live."

Turning to Superman, Sue said, "Superman, Charles just told us that you were actually _on_ Mars _and_ Jupiter!"

Smiling sheepishly, Xavier said, "I hope you didn't mind, Superman, but I told Dr Richards and Mrs. Dr. Richards about your...outing."

"No problem, Professor." Flyboy replied. To the Fantastic Four, he added, "Yes, I was there."

"Please...tell us you recorded the trip." Reed pleaded.

"Uh, boy." Johnny groaned. "Here we go..."

Superman just smiled, and walked to a computer console nearby, inserting a disc, and showing a video of his trip. "I think you'll want to see Jupiter first."

Reed blinked. "Why?"

Seconds later, he got his answer. Logan whistled. "Winged critters."

"_I don't **believe** it!_" Sue exclaimed. "There's...there's life elsewhere in this system! _Right in our own back-yard!!_"

Superman grinned. "Doctor, you haven't seen _anything_, yet."

Seconds later, they all saw why. Logan whistled again. "_Big_ winged critters."

"My God..._look_ at them." Reed whispered. "A perfectly co-ordinated effort...they're _intelligent_..."

"Take a look at those chambers on their wings." Superman suggested.

Reed did so...and nearly did a double-take. "They're...they're _combusting methane_..."

Johnny blinked. "Okay, I'm no science-geek, but even _I_ think that's cool." he said. "They're living _jets_!"

A few seconds later, the video showed the same big critters...but with a _smaller_ critter like them. Kitty's reaction was immediate: "_Awwwww..._"

"They're a _family-group_..." Sue murmured.

Ben chuckled. "Careful, Reed." he joked. "Sue might start hinting." That caused Sue to fix Ben with a half-hearted glare.

Reed turned to Superman, and shook his hand. "Congratulations, Superman," he said, "you just proved that life exists elsewhere in this system!"

"Reed...we _have_ to go to Jupiter!" Sue exclaimed.

Reed sighed. "That'll be tough," he replied, "because without seeing this data, NASA will never approve funding...and we can't show them the data without telling who we got it from."

Sue sighed. "Darn."

Superman nodded. "Well," he said, "if my existence ever becomes public knowledge, feel free to show NASA this recording; I'll just hang onto it in the meantime."

Reed smiled. "Thanks." he replied. "Well, I guess it's time for us to go."

"It was good to see all of you, again." Xavier said. "Feel free to drop by when you can."

"We will." Sue promised. With that, the Fantastic Four headed out.

"Well, Logan," Charles said, "I suppose the questions you had have been answered."

"Yeah." Logan said. "And you were right; my brain _did_ have a good reason for blockin' that place out." Lying back in his bed, he added, "I think I need a little shut-eye, Chuck." Nodding, Charles, Kitty, Kurt, and Superman all left the room, giving Logan the time he needed.

"Kitty, what's going on?"

Kitty laughed. "Just keep your eyes closed, Clark!" she exclaimed, as she led him down the hall. She'd given him a few minutes to settle after his trip, before leading him to their surprise.

If Mrs. Kent hadn't clued them in, they would have missed it.

Finally, she led him into the prepared room. "Okay, open your eyes!"

Clark did so. "Kitty, what's going on..?"

"_SURPRISE!!_" everyone, including the visiting Mrs. Kent, cheered, as the lights were flipped on. "_Happy 20th Birthday, Clark!!_"

Clark blinked. "What? It's not my birthday; my birthday is the..." He did the mental arithmetic...and his eyes widened. "Whoa...it _is_ my birthday."

Laughing, Martha hugged her son. "You _forgot_?" she laughed. "Well, I suppose we can't blame you; with all the heroics you do, as well as your schoolwork..._plus_ that little trip you took today."

"Your mom told us." Jean said. Laughing, she added, "Clark, why didn't you _tell_ us your birthday was today?"

Clark looked sheepish. "Well, technically, it's _not_." he admitted. "I have no idea of the exact date of my birth; this day was the day that my ship landed in Smallville."

"Close enough, CK! Close enough!" Evan laughed.

"But...how did you get all of this ready without me figuring..." Clark began...and then he looked to Scott. "You were asking about the length of the trip! You all did it while I was off-world!" he laughed.

Scott chuckled. "Guilty as charged."

"Well, come on! Open your presents!" Kitty laughed, nudging Clark towards the gifts that everyone had gotten for him.

Scott had given him a telescope, so he didn't have to use his ship to look at the stars.

Jean had given him a copy of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds."

Kurt had given him the movie "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy," in case he built a movie-player into his ship before his next fight, with an attached note saying '_Watch out for Vogon poetry._' causing Clark to laugh.

Kitty had given him a framed picture of the planet Earth, so that he could always look at the world that was his home.

Rogue had given him a smaller framed photo of all of them, taken at Christmas, to always help him remember that he was family to them.

Evan had given him the complete collection of the old sit-com "Third Rock from the Sun."

And Martha, Ororo, Logan, and the Professor had all contributed to give Clark a new computer, complete with software that could be used to analyze the data he'd collected on his flight.

Clark smiled after opening his gifts. "Thanks, guys." he said.

"Now," Martha said, "who's up for cake?"

Instantly, all the students bolted downstairs, towards the dining room, followed by the teachers, Mrs. Kent, and Clark.

After cake had been served – a testament to Mrs. Kent's culinary mastery – they had all moved to the living room, to watch the DVD antics of the hilariously insane-yet-lovable alien High-Commander Dick Solomon and his family/unit as they attempted to blend in and understand Earthly ways. Kitty was just finishing typing her letter home, sitting by the window.

Hearing the laughter of her new family, Kitty smiled...and thought of the perfect way to end. '_Like I said, around here, it's hard to get a moment alone._' she typed. '_But I don't really mind. This is just what it means to be part of a family._'

_Deep space_

In the deepest parts of space, millions of light-years from both Earth and the Xerius Galaxy, a single, massive, cylinder-dome-shaped ship floated; it was the Ark-ship of the Xenterran race.

The Xenterrans had fled their world in this vessel, due to their world's climate and volcanic activity changing too rapidly for their technology to mend. They had built the Ark to carry their people to a new, uninhabited world. The Xenterrans had been a peaceful, enlightened people, capable of telepathy and telekinesis...

...or rather, they _had_ been.

The bridge of the Ark – as well as the rest of the Ark – was littered with the bodies of the spherical Xenterrans, the floor coated with their violet blood...as their killer, a black, spindly, nano-assembled mechanoid, stood at the main computer console, now an empty shell...for the twisted intelligence that now controlled the Ark.

It had been ten years since Brainiac had found this ship, after floating in space for twenty years. He'd managed to upload himself to a Kryptonian satellite, and promptly left orbit before Krypton's destruction...but his A.I. had been severely fragmented.

Because of Jor-El.

But Jor-El was dead, along with his entire race. No-one would threaten Brainiac again.

After the Xenterrans had found his probe, it had been easy to use the probe's nano-repair-system to construct a body, overpower them, and insert his program into the ship.

By then, it was too late for the Xenterrans. It had been child's play to simply shut off life-support, causing the Xenterrans to chew on vacuum for a few minutes...allowing him to have the ship to himself.

In the past ten years, he'd continued his new directive, and traveled to distant worlds, taken in all their knowledge...

...and promptly eradicated them. Eventually, he would do this to _all_ worlds, and his program would be complete.

Currently, Brainiac was trying to decide which planet to absorb and destroy next...

'_Trans-Warp signature detected._'

Brainiac was mildly surprised when he got that message; Trans-Warp – a practically brand new technology in Krypton's final days, so much that it had never been approved for mass use – was easy to detect, even from the far end of the universe.

It had come from the planet Earth.

Brainiac searched his vast database, and found the file. Earth, a Class One planet, under D-Level Observation, due for re-evaluation of Contact-Decision in thirty years; had Krypton survived for another thirty years, the Council of Twelve would be deciding whether or not to contact Earth's inhabitants...but it was unlikely. The people of that world showed promise, but they were still too primitive, too prejudicial and xenophobic as a whole to risk contact.

And they were _far_ too primitive to have developed Trans-Warp. Brainiac recalled, just before Krypton was destroyed, that a single vessel had escaped at Trans-Warp speeds...from _Jor-El's home_.

Kal-El. Jor-El's son. He was alive. On Earth.

A member of the Kryptonian race had survived...one who would have reason to destroy Brainiac...

Brainiac instantly set a course for Earth; it would be several years before he reached Earth, even at top speeds, but this was a threat that _had_ to be neutralized.

And an unknown impulse was urging Brainiac to destroy Kal-El. An organic being would have called this urge '_desire for revenge_,' but Brainiac was a flawless intelligence, not limited by emotion. He was acting in self-preservation, nothing more.

The Ark proceeded on, towards the distant Earth, guided by its master's single computation.

_Kal-El must be destroyed._

_Author's Note: I hope I got my facts straight with Mars and Jupiter; I took a few creative liberties with Jupiter. I hope you all don't fault me too much if one of my facts is off. Thanks!_


	13. Fated Hour, Part One

CHAPTER TWELVE: FATED HOUR, PART ONE

_Undisclosed location, May 12, 2007_

In his secret base, far from prying eyes, Magneto sat in his study, thinking quietly.

Everything was ready. The Brotherhood had been gathered here, as well as Sabretooth and Mystique. His device was fully operational, as was the base itself. And the space-rock chamber was ready to use, if it came to that.

'_It is time._' Magneto thought. He stood up, and donned his PSI-shielded helmet; once he left the base, its shielding would no longer protect him, and his helm would be necessary. He then walked out of his study. '_First things first._'

"Father?"

Stopping, Magneto turned to see Pietro there, in uniform. "Are you going, now?" he asked. "Is it time?"

"Yes, Pietro." Magneto replied.

Pietro scowled. "So...you're going to recruit..._him_."

Magneto smiled paternally, and lightly ruffled his son's hair, so much like his own. "Try not to be too bitter, son." he said. "You may yet become friends."

"_Doubt_ it."

Magneto sighed. Pietro could be as stubborn as he was. "He is the one our people need, son." he said. With that, he walked off, to the open balcony. Summoning his powers, he levitated into the air, his dark cape billowing as he flew to the southeast.

He needed to make a little detour before meeting Superman.

_Hawaii_

As the bright sun gleamed over the crystal waters, 15-year-old Alex Masters swam out into the waves on his surfboard. Alex was fairly tall, with an athletic frame, his skin a rich tan from the Hawaiian sun, his mid-length hair bright blond, his eyes a bright green. He wore his usual blue-and-orange wetsuit, the one he always wore when he went surfing.

As he swam out, Alex spied a _sweet_ wave forming. He swam into its wake, and stood up, letting its momentum give him the boost he needed...before he glided under its foamy cap, his board slicing the water, as he darted out before the wave crashed in on him.

'_Oh, yeah!_' Alex mentally crowed, as he started looking for another wave...but spied something _else_: a grey, triangular dorsal-fin, a symbol of terror for every surfer with any sense.

_Shark_.

The fin had been circling him, and then it ducked under the water; Alex knew what it was doing – going deep before it came right up under him. He looked down, and could faintly see the dark outline of the perfect ocean-predator, its cold, soulless eyes glinted, its deadly teeth glistening...

Suddenly, a blazing red light exploded from Alex's hands, slicing through the water, striking the shark, sending it packing. Alex saw the startled sea-creature swim to the surface a few feet away, before it swam off, looking for another victim.

Alex looked at his hands, still lightly glowing. '_Whoa...how did I **do** that?_' he thought.

"Alex Masters."

Looking around, Alex saw a shadow above him. Looking up, he saw that it belonged to a flying figure...with a _cape_. "_S-Superman?!_" he stammered.

The figure chuckled. "No, Alex, I am not Superman." he said, as he drew closer, out of the sun's glare, hovering right above the water, in front of him. Now Alex could get a good look; he was an older guy, in black-and-red armor, with a funny, dark-red, almost bucket-like helmet.

"Who...who're you??" Alex asked.

The guy smiled. "I am Magneto." he replied. "And I am a mutant, like you."

'_A...mutant?_' Alex thought, looking at his hands, again.

"You are confused, which is to be expected; I, myself, was quite alarmed, when my powers first manifested." Magneto said. "But I can help you, Alex. I can help you learn to control your talents, and help protect you from those who would do you harm."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Alex said; this was getting too weird. "I think I can figure this out on my own."

"I see." Magneto replied. "Even if it meant reuniting with your brother?"

Alex froze. "My...my brother's _dead_." he murmured.

"Oh, no, Alex; Scott is alive and well." Magneto said. "And now that you have used your powers, I am certain that he will seek you out." He started to float away. "I will ask you again when Scott finds you, to see if you've changed your mind." With that, he flew off, leaving the bewildered Alex behind.

_Xavier Institute_

Scott's car roared up the driveway to the Institute, sounding in as high spirits as its driver. Today had been the last day of school before Spring Break; one whole week off of classes.

Scott leapt out of his car, to the laughter of Jean, who'd driven home with him. "I've never seen you so happy, before!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, who wouldn't be happy to have a whole week off?" Scott laughed. Then, he headed into the Institute, as Jean headed to the back garden, where she'd planned to do some painting. The others had taken the bus to the beach, except Clark, who was out on patrol.

'_Scott, I need to see you immediately._'

Surprised, Scott headed to Professor Xavier's office, heeding his mentor's summons. "Is anything wrong, Professor?" he asked.

"Scott," the Professor said, "a few moments ago, Cerebro detected a new mutant signature."

"Okay." Scott said. "So, why not tell everyone else?"

"Scott...it's your _brother_."

Scott's eyes widened behind his shades. "_Alex?_" he repeated. "Alex is _alive?!_ _Where?!_"

"He's in Hawaii." the Professor said. "But I'm also detecting..."

Scott didn't wait for the rest, as he ran off, heading for the hangar bay.

Alex was alive. His little brother was _okay_.

Running into the Blackbird, Scott prepped for launch; in minutes, the Blackbird took off, heading for Hawaii.

It took _far_ too long to reach Hawaii, as far as Scott was concerned. He landed the Blackbird in a secluded spot, and headed out, walking onto a sandy beach. He looked around, and spotted a young man walking onto the beach. He ran up to him. "Excuse me, but I'm looking for..."

But he stopped as he got a good look at him. "_Al...Alex?_" he whispered.

The young man looked wary. "How do you know my name?"

Scott simply removed his father's dog-tags from around his neck, and handed them to Alex.

Alex looked at them. "Hey...these are my _Dad's_ old dog-tags! He gave them to my brother! How did _you_..." Then, he, too, stopped, looking at him, his eyes widening in recognition. "_Scott?_" he murmured.

Scott smiled, and nodded.

"_SCOTT!!_"

Both brothers hugged, reunited after so many years. "You stupid little knucklehead..." Scott muttered, hugging his baby brother, "...do you know how worried I was about you?"

"_You?_ I thought you were dead, you big doofus!" Alex replied.

"I thought _you_ were dead!"

Both brothers laughed, their hug ending, as Alex gave back the tags. "First things, first." Alex chuckled, and he playfully punched Scott in the shoulder.

"_Hey!_ What was that for?" Scott laughed.

"For all the times you kicked my butt!" Alex quipped.

"News flash, kid: I'm your _big brother_! It's practically my _job_!" Scott joked, causing them both to laugh again. "Alex, it's _great_ to see you!" Scott added. "You wouldn't _believe_ what's happened in the past few years!"

"I can't wait to hear it!" Alex exclaimed. "Man, Magneto was _right_!"

Scott froze. "_What_ did you say?" he asked.

"Magneto. He said that you'd come looking for me." Alex replied simply, confused.

"And I was right."

Scott's eyes narrowed as he saw the Master of Magnetism descend into view. His hand went to his glasses, ready to let Magneto have it...

"Easy, Scott." Magneto said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to fight you."

"Your tricks aren't going to work, Magneto." Scott growled. "Whatever you're up to, we'll _stop_ you."

"Whoa, Scott, _chill_!" Alex cried.

"It's alright, Alex." Magneto said. "Scott is right; he has no reason to trust me." He looked at Scott, looking him right in the eye. "I only wish to talk, to give you my side of the story. Surely Charles wouldn't mind that, would he? He must trust your judgement enough to let you get _all_ the facts."

He gestured, and a floating metal sphere, powered by magnetism, descended, opening to them. "I only wish to show you what I want to achieve, for _all_ mutants like us, nothing more. After that, you may return home safely. I give you my word."

"And why should I believe you?" Scott asked.

Magneto chuckled. "Well, between your optic-rays and Alex's hand-blasts, you both have enough sheer force to send me packing!"

Alex looked at Scott. "You're a mutant, too?" he asked. "That's so awesome! Come on, Scott, we can just check him out, right?"

Scott didn't trust Magneto one bit, but Alex wanted to go, and he had to look after his brother. He glared at Magneto. "_No funny business._" he said firmly. Magneto nodded, and Alex stepped into the sphere, followed by a cautious Scott. The sphere closed behind them, and lifted into the air, flying off.

Magneto smiled as the sphere left. With any luck, he could recruit Cyclops, as well; if not, he would still have Scott Summers, Charles' most devoted follower, out of the way. As the sphere glided out of sight, Magneto _reached_ for the Blackbird with his power, sending it levitating back to Charles' Institute...letting him know _exactly_ what had happened. As the Blackbird floated off, Magneto took out the modified transmitter he'd designed.

Time for the next phase of his plan.

_New York City_

A young woman shrieked in terror as she ran down an alley, a young punk, high on crystal meth, brandishing a knife, chased after her, cornering her in the alley, a predatory glint in his eye...

Suddenly, an unknown force, moving too fast to be seen, yanked him off his feet and into the air, a sonic boom echoing in its wake, leaving a very confused – but thankful – young woman behind.

Superman dropped the punk behind a street patrolman, darting off into the sky before anyone could see him. He watched as the officer found the punk, saw that he was high as a kite, and booked him.

"You know, I could've handled that, Big Blue."

Superman chuckled as he turned, finding Spider-Man leaning against a flagpole atop a nearby building, sipping a cup of coffee. "You were having a snack, Little Red." he quipped back, floating down.

Behind his mask, Spider-Man arched an eyebrow. "You're not trying to muscle in on my neck of the woods, are you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Superman laughed. "You know that I don't really stick to one specific 'turf'."

Spider-Man nodded. "Boy, what I wouldn't give to have just _half_ your accumulated Air Miles." he joked. "So, step on any of Kingpin's toes, lately?"

Superman nodded. "A few." he replied. After learning Fisk's voice, it had been easy for him to zero in on his cell-phone calls with his hearing, learn about his crooked operations, to either stop them himself, or leak information as an anonymous police informant.

"Figured." Spider-Man said. "I'd heard through the grapevine that Kingpin was royally steamed, and since _I_ didn't do anything recently, I figured it was you."

"More or less."

Spider-Man chuckled. "_Nice_." he said. "I heard even _Daredevil_ was curious about who's been sticking it to Fisk."

Superman shrugged. "I do what I can."

Suddenly, a high-intensity UHF sound cut the air, causing Superman to wince. Spider-Man was startled. "Whoa, you okay, Big Blue?"

"Someone's transmitting on UHF." Superman said, clutching his ears. "No words, just a sound..."

But then, the signal lowered in intensity...and words became audible.

"_Out of all the creatures that can hear this frequency, only **one** walks on two legs, and that's **you**, Superman._"

Superman didn't know who this was, but he clearly knew about him.

"_I'm sure you're wondering who I am, by now. Surely you must have noticed electronic failures in all those airplanes you've caught, all those trains you've saved, all those accidents you've prevented? You **must** have noticed the electromagnetic interference causing them._"

Superman's eyes widened. He knew who this was, who it _had_ to be...

"_If you wish to prevent **more** disasters, Superman, I suggest that you follow this signal. For a being of your level of power, it should be child's play._" Then, the voice-recording ended, leaving the signal active.

"Sorry, Spidey, but I've got to go." Superman said.

Spider-Man nodded. "Don't fly _too_ high, bro." he said. Superman nodded, and flew off, tracking the signal to its source.

Superman tracked the signal to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...where a single figure, holding an electronic device, floated high above the waters, suspended by magnetic levitation, clad in red-and-black armor, with a flowing black cape, and a thick helmet upon his head.

Superman came to a stop in front of him, arms folding. "Magneto, I presume."

Magneto nodded. "Ah, so Charles told you about me! I'm flattered!" he said, smiling. "And you are..?"

Superman's eyes narrowed. "I think you _know_ who I am, Magneto." he said sternly.

Magneto frowned. "_No_."

Superman arched an eyebrow. "'No'?" he repeated.

"I only know what _Homo sapiens_ calls you." Magneto said flatly. He smiled wryly. "Granted, it's a fitting name, but I want your _true_ name, not what they call you...nor am I interested in hearing pseudonyms like 'Kalvin Elward.'"

Superman certainly wasn't going to tell Magneto his real name, not when he could go after his Ma if things went sour...so he did the next best thing. "I am Kal-El." he said.

Magneto seemed satisfied with that. He placed a hand upon Superman's shoulder. "Well met, Kal-El."

Superman's eyes narrowed. "Is what you said true?" he asked. "Are you responsible for all those accidents?"

Magneto arched an eyebrow. "Would it matter if I was?"

Superman's eyes went wide in surprise. "Would...it..._matter_?" he repeated, incredulous.

His eyes narrowed in pure, righteous fury.

"_Would it **MATTER**?!_"

In less than a fraction of a second, Superman grabbed Magneto's collar, lifting him up, a frightened expression on the Master of Magnetism's face. "Do you have any _idea_ of how many people you could have _hurt_?!" Superman exploded. "How many _lives_ you could have _broken_?! What if I _hadn't_ been able to get there in time?! How can you even _try_ to justify what you did?!" Then, he caught himself, and calmed down, letting Magneto go.

Magneto simply smiled. "You care about them." he said.

"I care about _everyone_." Superman said.

Magneto nodded. "True compassion." he said approvingly. "That's good; that's _very_ good."

"Flattery isn't going to buy me off, Magneto." Superman said firmly. His eyes narrowed. "You give me _one good reason_ not to drag you to Guantanamo Bay Prison and throw you in a jail cell."

Magneto lightly chuckled. "I'll give you _three_." he parried. "_One_: you can't turn me in without revealing yourself, and you don't want to do that...although I can't understand why that would matter to one as powerful as you. _Two_: do you really expect a prison if _iron bars_ to hold me?"

"And _Three_, the most important one: if you do, you'll never know why I called you here."

Superman frowned. "All right." he said carefully.

"Your compassion is a worthy trait, Kal-El, but it is tragically misplaced." Magneto said. "_Homo sapiens_' time on this world is over; they've had a good run, and now it's time for them to step aside. _We_ – mutants, _Homo superior_ – are the future, not them. They no longer matter."

Superman's eyes narrowed. "They matter to _me_." he countered. "There are _good_ people in this world..."

"...and you wish to save them." Magneto said. "Morally, that's the right thing to do. You can save them from plane crashes; you can save them from train wrecks; and you can save them from all manner of natural disasters."

"But you can't save them from progress, Kal-El." Magneto finished. "And _we_, mutants, _are_ progress."

"That doesn't give you the right to hurt them." Superman said. "Having power doesn't make you better; it's how you choose to _use_ it."

Magneto smiled. "Power _and_ wisdom." he said. "We will have to discuss this later." he said. "For now, I wish to show you something." With that, he levitated away, and Superman flew after him.

Magneto led him out over the Mediterranean Sea, stopping over a large island...one which Superman didn't recognize; it wasn't on any maps. This island was pristine, pure, unspoiled, with lush forests and pure waters.

In short, it was a paradise.

"What do you think?" Magneto asked, gesturing to the island.

"It's..._beautiful_." Superman admitted.

Magneto smiled. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" he said. "It's called Genosha."

"I've...never seen it before." Superman said.

"That's because no-one – other than myself and my associate – have seen it before." Magneto replied. "My electromagnetic powers blind satellites to its existence, and my associate's magical abilities keep it cloaked to the naked eye."

This surprised Superman, though he concealed it well. "Why?"

"Because, Kal-El, this island is to be the future home of any mutant who wishes to dwell here, safe from persecution." Magneto said. "I am no fool, Kal-El; I know that, in time, mutants will be revealed to the public. One of humanity's remaining good qualities is curiosity; I am sure that you realize this. And when humans begin to persecute mutants...Genosha will be a safe haven: the first mutant nation."

He looked at Superman. "I understand your compassion for them, Kal-El." he said. "To be honest, I, myself, have occasional doubts about what must be done. I don't want to resort to drastic measures; _Homo superior_ loves _all_ living things." His tone turned sad. "But the truth is that humanity is a species of greedy, bigoted, selfish, apathetic creatures, and our moral duty is to replace them as soon as possible."

Superman frowned. "I'm not ready to give up on them, Magneto." he said. "Yes, there are evil people in this world, but there are also _good_ people, here." '_Like Jonathan and Martha Kent._' he thought, as well as all his friends' families. They had as much right to exist as mutants did.

"Yes, Kal-El...but the sad fact is that it is the _good_ people who are in the minority." Magneto said. "People are a fickle bunch, Kal-El, easily swayed by a charismatic racist." His eyes narrowed, as he spoke to himself as well as to Superman, "And there are _far_ too many racist bigots in this world; people in power, fearful of change, of the balance of power shifting against them, of losing what they have."

Superman's eyes narrowed. "So, you plan to gather mutants here, and rule them, turn them into your own army."

Magneto chuckled. "Oh, no, Kal-El." he replied. "The leadership of my people is meant for another."

Superman arched an eyebrow; he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this. "Who?" he asked.

He was right.

"_You!_" Magneto exclaimed.

"Me." Superman repeated flatly.

"The time has come to drop pretenses, Kal-El. I _know_ that you are not of this planet."

Superman kept outwardly calm, though he was horrified. '_How could he know?_'

"I have studied the X-Gene for as long as Charles has; I _know_ what it is capable of." Magneto said. "You are simply too powerful to be a mutant; you're _eons_ ahead of us! And to have traveled here, your people must be more advanced than anything we have on this world! _You_ are the only man capable of uniting the mutant race, of guiding my people! You have the power to protect them, the intelligence to guide them, and the compassion to care for them. You will teach them, and bring out all that is good in them, for their sake and for the planet's sake; Earth cannot sustain this way of life much longer! Only you can teach them what must be done! We _need_ you, Kal-El!"

_You must never directly interfere in their natural development; that is forbidden by our highest laws._

Jor-El's words came to him instantly, by pure reflex. This was _exactly_ the kind of situation that his biological father had warned him about. Even though part of what Magneto had said was true, he couldn't do this; it wasn't right.

"I can't." Superman said.

Magneto's expression fell...and then became firm. "I have one more thing to show you." he said. "Please, follow me." With that, he levitated away, and Superman followed him...to an _asteroid floating above the ground_, far to the north, close to the North Pole; Superman was thankful that the Fortress of Solitude was invisible to satellites and radar, or else Magneto may have picked it up.

He didn't know how, but he _knew_ he wasn't going to like this.

_Asteroid M_

Quicksilver and the rest of the Brotherhood, all in uniform, were waiting at the balcony where his father had departed from, with Mystique and Sabretooth; he was due back soon.

"So, Pietro," Toad asked, "what exactly is yer Dad bringin' back?"

Quicksilver scowled, but before he could answer, Sabretooth spoke up. "Hey, squirt, yer old man's back." he said, sniffing the air. He sniffed again...and _growled_. "_And he ain't alone._"

Just then, Magneto appeared on the horizon, levitating towards Asteroid M...

...with Superman following him.

Quicksilver scowled, along with everyone else, as Superman touched down with Magneto. Sabretooth, however, growled, baring his teeth, which would've made anyone else wet themselves, but Superman remained calm.

"_Enough_, Creed!" Magneto yelled. To Superman, he added, " I apologize for this...'reception,' Kal-El."

'_Kal-El?!_' Quicksilver thought. '_Man, just when I thought he couldn't **get** a dumber name!_' He could only scowl as his father led Super-Dork deeper into the base.

"That little..." Quicksilver growled, "...he thinks he's so special; Mr. 'Man of Steel,' Mr. 'Save-the-Day'...what I wouldn't _give_ to kick his butt!!"

"Get in line, shrimp!!" Sabretooth roared. "I _owe_ that runt!! The little bastard nearly knocked me into _orbit_!! _You wait your **turn**!!_"

Mystique just chuckled. "Boys, boys," she chuckled, "we _all_ feel that way...so why don't we follow Magneto? If what I've overheard is true, Superman is in for a nasty _surprise_." With that, she walked after Magneto.

Everyone else followed her, as Quicksilver smiled to himself. He hoped she was right.

He'd _jump_ at the chance to laugh in Superman's face.

Superman followed Magneto to an enclosed room, with lead walls, he noted, confused. "What is this place?" he asked.

"I call it Asteroid M, something of a training ground for the future protectors of our people." Magneto replied. "Here, the most powerful mutants of this generation will train, and fully evolve their powers; all that is missing is true leadership."

Superman shook his head. "_Forget_ it."

Magneto sighed. "I see." he said, and then he changed the subject. "Tell me, Kal-El...what do you know of superconductors?"

"Under extremely low temperatures, certain materials lose all resistance to electrical current." Superman replied. "Under these conditions, these materials become super-conductive of electricity, and thus conduct extremely powerful magnetic fields, capable of...levitation..." Then, it hit him. "_That's_ how this place is floating! It's a giant _superconductor_!"

Magneto smiled. "_Brilliant_ deduction; I couldn't have put it better, myself." he said. "Yes, Kal-El, Asteroid M is a massive superconductor, cooled by the sub-zero temperatures of the North Pole. However, superconductors have one _more_ property, something that hasn't been discovered, yet; they can amplify other magnetic fields...like _mine_. Asteroid M is capable of amplifying my powers over a _thousandfold_."

"And why do you need that much power?" Superman asked warily.

Magneto looked to Superman crossly. "I will ask you one more time, Kal-El; will you lead _Homo superior_? Will you be the leader that can save my people, from both themselves and from those who would destroy us."

"_No_." Superman said. "I will not impose my will upon others. I will protect both humans and mutants, and I will try to show them the right way...but if they are to change, they must do so on their own terms, not mine. I'm sorry, but you've wasted your time." He turned to go...

...and found the exit blocked by the Brotherhood, Mystique, and Sabretooth.

"You've been listening to Charles. If only _I_ had found you first." Magneto said. "For the life of me, I will _never_ understand why my old friend is trying to make a mortal...out of a _god_." He looked truly regretful. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to do this..." He walked to one wall, and tapped a button, opening a panel...

...and a toxic-green light flooded the room.

'_Kryptonite!!_'

Superman's mental alert came too late. The instant the deadly rays of the Kryptonite touched him, he collapsed onto the floor, going pale, his veins visible beneath his skin, every cell and fiber of his being feeling as if it was on _fire_. It was very difficult to hear what was being said.

It was only through sheer force of will that he hadn't blacked out.

Magneto could only look upon Kal-El with regret as he used his secret weapon. As expected, the space-rock rendered him powerless.

The others were shocked silent. "What the..._what just happened, here?_" Toad exclaimed. "How come we _all_ didn't keel over from that funky rock?"

Magneto chuckled at Toad's exclamation. "It is simply because of the unique nature of the radiation from this stone, Mr. Tolansky."

"R-Radiation?!" Blob stammered. "Shouldn't we have lead pajamas or something?!"

"No, Mr. Dukes. This kind of radiation is only dangerous after _long_-term exposure; to those of this world, it is only harmful after _years_ of exposure." Magneto said. He looked to Kal-El. "To those _not_ of this world, however, even a _nano-second_ of exposure is _toxic_."

Toad went pale. "'_Those...**not** of this world_'?!" he stammered. "Holy mother of..._he's a freakin' E.T.!!!_"

"Well, _duh_! Anyone stupid enough to play hero _has_ to be from another planet!" Pietro said. Magneto frowned as his son sneered down at Kal-El. "Not so tough _now_, are you?" he mocked. "You're in for a _world_ of hurt, Super-Dork!"

Sabretooth grinned savagely, cracking his knuckles. "Say your prayers, runt," he growled, "'cause I'm gonna..!"

"**_YOU WILL DO NOTHING!!_**"

Magneto's roar took them all by surprise, as the Master of Magnetism shook with fury. "You – _none_ of you – are to so much as _touch_ a hair on his _head_!" he barked. "This man is the future of our people, and you _will_ not _touch_ him!!"

Sabretooth growled. "Save us the 'destiny' babble, Lensherr! He said no! I _owe_ this runt!!"

"You will not _touch_ him, Creed." Magneto growled, clenching his fist. "In this place, I can control the iron-rich hemoglobin in your blood...enough to give you the _worst cerebral hemorrhage_ in medical _history_!" His eyes narrowed. "Can you recover from _that_?"

Sabretooth growled. He looked to Kal-El. "You lucked out, runt." he muttered.

"That goes for _all_ of you!" Magneto ordered. Calming, he looked upon Kal-El. "We can't even _begin_ to fathom the agony he's in, now..."

"_H-How?_"

Magneto was truly surprised at how Kal-El had just spoke. "Amazing...even under such agony, you're still lucid!" he remarked. "Your willpower is inspiring; a _true_ Man of Steel!"

Kal-El's eyes narrowed, and he spoke slowly. "_How...did...you...know...about me?_"

Magneto smiled. "Irene Adler, appropriately named Destiny." he replied. "She has the ability to see the future; she prophesied your coming the very second you arrived on this planet, twenty years ago! She prophesied your destiny, as the leader of my people!" He looked to the others. "Leave us."

Slowly, the others left the room.

With regretful eyes, Magneto continued, "I am truly sorry to have to do this, Kal-El, but it seems to be the only way to snap you out of your fondness for _them_." He turned to go. "You will thank me for it, later."

"_Why?_"

Magneto paused. "'Why,' what?"

"_Why...need...more...power?_"

Magneto smiled. "You may have heard that meteors will be passing through this solar system, in the next day or so." he replied. "These meteors are quite unique: _they're filled with iron ore_."

Kal-El's eyes widened in horror. "_You're going to...pull the meteors towards Earth..._"

"Humanity will hear our roar." Magneto said. "The rain of fire will be a rallying cry for _Homo superior_, to flock to Genosha...in time for its new leader to accept his destiny." He smiled. "Even now, I am gathering the strongest mutants to act as protectors and peacekeepers; _Charles' X-Men_."

"_No..._"

"I thought you would prefer to work with your friends and peers, once they have seen the truth." Magneto commented. He turned to go.

"_I'll...stop you..._"

Magneto stopped, and turned to meet Kal-El's determined glare. "_I don't know how...but I'll **stop** you..._"

Magneto smiled paternally. "You, Kal-El, will _lead_ us." he said. His eyes narrowed sternly. "_Because you won't be leaving this room until you do._" With that, he left the room, locking it behind him, and walked away.

Kal-El had surpassed _all_ his expectations. His power was _unimaginable_, his intelligence even _more_ impressive, and his compassion, though misguided, was inspiring.

And such _conviction_!

'_He is a true leader, no doubt about it._' Magneto thought with a smile. '_He will guide the mutant race, show our people the way..._

_'...and Heaven help any racist arrogant or stupid enough to try and hurt his people._'

By then, he'd reached the control chamber, where the others, including his son, were waiting. "Kal-El will see the light soon." he declared with a smile.

Pietro scowled. "Terrific."

Magneto sighed to himself; he was going to have to have a talk with his son. "Begin the next phase." he instructed. "Let's invite Charles and his students for a visit."

Charles Xavier was in his office when he saw the Blackbird touch down in the front yard...

..._with no-one flying it._

Charles frowned. He knew of only one mutant capable of doing this; it seemed that his old friend wanted to talk with him. Knowing Erik, if he wanted to talk to him, it could be either good news...

...or very _bad_ news.

Either way, he had to find out.

Rolling his wheelchair out into the yard, Charles boarded the Blackbird. The very second he had, the plane took off, powered solely by magnetism, to an unknown destination.

Jean was just painting in the back yard, humming to herself. A few feet away, Ororo was tending her garden, generating a tiny rain cloud, watering her flowers.

Jean was getting worried; it had been quite a while since she'd heard from Scott...

Suddenly, two silver-metal spheres descended from the clouds towards them. One closed on Jean and snared her with numerous metal tendrils, scooping her inside before she could even cry out.

Ororo saw what had just happened, and flew towards her, but the second sphere intercepted her. Ororo summoned lightning, but the sphere shrugged it off, capturing her just as it had Jean.

Their task complete, the spheres flew away, heading north.

It had taken Logan a few hours to drive Elf, Half-Pint, Stripes, and Porcupine to the beach; how they'd convinced him to do so, he'd never know.

Wait, he _did_ know; Half-Pint had turned her "Puppy-Dog" eyes on him.

"Let's go!" Kitty exclaimed, hopping out of the jeep, a pink t-shirt under her pink swimsuit.

Kurt leapt out, too, clad in red shorts and a green button-up t-shirt, his image-inducer switched off, carrying a surfboard. "Surf's up!"

Evan laughed, getting out, wearing black shorts and a white t-shirt. "Kurt, I'm _telling_ you, you're not gonna catch any waves, here!"

Rogue sighed as she got out, clad in a green sweater over her dark green swimsuit. "Gawd, what people like 'bout beaches, Ah'll neva know."

Logan chuckled...and then he spied something: five metal spheres, dropping out of the sky...heading straight at them.

Two of the spheres got Rogue and Evan before Logan could shout a warning. A third went after Kitty, but she managed to phase through it...and then the sphere released a green gas, knocking her out, allowing it to capture her.

Kurt managed to 'port away at first, until the fourth sphere got him with its gas and scooped him up.

And then the last sphere went after _him_. Logan snarled, and popped out his claws, slashing the tendrils that reached for him. The sphere wasn't phased, as the metal he ripped off seemed to shoot back to stick to the sphere..._magnetically_, before it fused back together. Then, the sphere got close enough to use its gas, and Logan eventually succumbed.

Once the spheres had collected their prizes, they flew off.

_Louisiana, New Orleans_

Remy had just walked into the bar, and ordered a shot; thank God for fake I.D.'s. He had just sat down to enjoy...

...when a knife hit the counter, inches from Remy's hand.

Remy calmly finished his drink, before looking at who had thrown it.

'_Julien._' he thought. '_Figures._' Julien was the leader of a small-time gang of thieves: the Rippers. He had been Remy's main rival back in Remy's days with the Thieves Guild.

Without the protection of the Guild, Remy figured that Julien would come after him.

"Well, looky 'ere." Julien drawled, smiling wryly. "Looks like ol' Remy's been turned out by 'is _pere_."

"Minor diff'rence." Remy corrected. "Remy _walked_ out. Jus' wanted t' make dat clear." He turned his chair around to face Julien and his gang. "Finally got de guts t' face Remy, Jules?"

Julien's eyes narrowed. "Y' can' hide behind yer _pere_'s Guild anymore, LeBeau. Y' ass is _fair game_."

Remy chuckled. "Remy nev'r needed de Guild t' kick y' ass, Jules." he quipped. "Dat ain' changed."

Julien growled...and pulled out an automatic.

'_An' dat's Remy's cue t' leave._' Remy thought. He ran to the side, leaping out an open window as Julien opened fire. Remy rolled, landing on his feet perfectly.

In seconds, the Rippers ran into the alley he'd landed in, brandishing knives. Remy drew his staff and extended it, blocking the first one's attack, whirling into a back-spin strike, taking out _two_ Rippers. But by then, more had filled the alley, including Julien.

Remy frowned, looking around. The fence behind him was only wood. A few explosive cards would distract the Rippers enough to knock it down...

Suddenly, a metal sphere dropped out of the sky, hovering over Remy. Remy only got a chance to say one word before it grabbed him.

"_Merde_..."

The sphere flew off with him inside, leaving a cursing Julien behind.

'_Well, Remy's out o' de fryin' pan..._' Remy thought, '_...but why do Remy got a feelin' dat 'e's 'eaded for de fire?_'

The Blackbird landed far to the north, near the North Pole. As Charles got out, he paused in amazement before the massive floating asteroid before him.

The only thing more impressive had been Clark's Fortress of Solitude...and Charles had a feeling that this place had a much more sinister purpose than Superman's crystalline sanctuary...

Suddenly, his wheelchair was lifted up, towards the asteroid, and headed into it, down a high-tech hallway, coming to a stop in a room filled with cryo-stasis chambers.

And in those chambers were all the X-Men, save Scott: Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, Evan, Ororo, Logan, and even Remy, Ororo's friend from New Orleans.

"Hello, Charles."

Charles turned to see Magneto there, smiling slyly. "Erik..." he murmured, "...what have you done?"

Magneto just smiled, backing Charles' wheelchair towards an empty chamber. "It's been so long, Charles." he said. "We have some catching up to do..."


	14. Fated Hour, Part Two

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: FATED HOUR, PART TWO

The metal sphere had dropped Scott and Alex off at Magneto's base, a floating meteor to the far north. Magneto had welcomed them, and ushered them to their own rooms, where they found new clothes: black pants, black gloves, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a brown jacket.

Scott was still suspicious, but these new clothes looked warmer than what he had, so he changed.

After changing, Scott left his room, meeting up with Alex in the hallway, clad in the same attire. They both then walked down the hallway, and met with Magneto...as well as Sabretooth and Mystique.

Scott was instantly on-guard. "What's going on?!" he demanded.

"Calm yourself, Scott." Magneto assured him. "I'm sure that Charles told you that Raven is an associate of mine, and you _must_ have realized that Mr. Creed was in my employ."

Scott calmed; he _still_ didn't like this, but as long as things didn't get out-of-hand, he could stay cool.

"Whoa...what's that?" Alex asked, pointing to the large machine behind Magneto. Scott noticed it, too. Whatever it was, it was _big_, with a large hatch, which was currently open, revealing a chamber large enough to hold a person.

It was giving Scott the creeps.

"Ah. I was wondering when one of you would notice." Magneto said pleasantly. "This device is one of my greatest creations, powered by a shard of the Ruby of Cyttorak."

Scott arched an eyebrow. "And what is the Ruby of Cyttorak?"

"I'll spare you the mythological details; it was simply the artifact that enabled Cain Marko to activate his dormant X-Gene." Magneto explained. "This device uses the Ruby's power to _fully evolve_ the powers of any mutant who steps into it." He looked to them both. "After stepping inside this device, you both will have _perfect control_ over your powers."

"_Whoa!_" Alex exclaimed. "Sign me up!"

Scott didn't like the sound of that. Conventional wisdom dictated that if something sounded too good to be true...

...it usually _was_.

"What's the catch?" Scott asked. "What kind of side effects does it have?"

Magneto smiled. "None that you need to worry about." he said. "One quick dose, and everything will be so much clearer."

Scott's eyes narrowed. "_You_ use it, then."

Magneto chuckled. "Oh, I _have_, Scott." he replied. He gestured to himself. "When you look at me, you see a mutant who has fully evolved, who has reached the pinnacle of his X-Gene's potential." He smiled. "This state can be yours, too. This is what I offer to _all_ mutants."

"Come on, Scott! It looks okay to _me_!" Alex said, smiling. "I say we do it!"

Scott still wasn't convinced. "I don't know..."

Suddenly, Scott's shades lifted off his face, by Magneto's power; Scott instantly shut his eyes. "You must love the color red," he commented, "to want to see it every minute of your life. You don't _have_ to, Scott. There are _other_ colors in the world: blue, green, orange, yellow, violet, and every other color in the spectrum. They can be _yours_ again, Scott. You can _see_, again. Don't you want that?"

Scott hesitated. There it was. Ever since joining the Institute, his hope had been to _see_ again, without leveling everything he looked at. The Professor had given him those glasses, allowed him to see, but only in shades of red. What Scott wanted, more than anything else, was to _see_, to truly _see_; to look at the blue sky, at the green grass...

...to see Jean in all her technicolor glory.

And now, it was here. _It was right in front of him..._

'_...don't..._'

Scott paused. He thought he'd heard a faint whisper in his mind.

'_...alters your mind..._'

It had sounded like the Professor. '_It couldn't be. I'm imagining things._' Scott thought. After all, wouldn't the Professor _want_ him to be happy? He'd always played by the rules, stayed cautious, took the long way, the 'worthwhile' way...and he was still stuck in shades of red. Maybe it was time to just toss the rules to the wind, just _once_, and get something he'd wanted for _so long_...

Scott stopped, as he remembered something: he'd nearly made that mistake, before. Back on that winter hike, he'd been about to blast Lance...but Clark had stopped him, reminded him of what he'd been taught.

He'd nearly done it, again, turned his back on everything that he believed in, everything he'd been taught, everything that was _important_ to him...

Scott's brow narrowed. "_No_." he said. "I won't deny wanting to see, again, but I'm not going to take short-cuts. If my powers evolve, they'll do so on their _own_. So...give me back my shades."

Magneto sighed, as Scott felt his shades rest back on his eyes, and he opened his eyes. The world was as red as he recalled. "I am truly sorry to hear that." Magneto said. "And what about you, Alex? Don't you want to have your powers under control?"

Alex looked to Scott, then back to Magneto. "Well, yeah," he admitted, "but I think Scott's right; short-cuts are usually bad news. If he isn't going to...I don't think I should, either."

Magneto looked regretful. "I see." he said. "Very well. You may return to your rooms."

Scott's eyes narrowed. "I thought we were free to go home after we saw what you wanted us to."

"I _do_ intend to send you home." Magneto said. "However, there are a few things that require my attention, first. So, please, remain as my guests; I will send you home soon."

"All right. I suppose that's fair." Scott said. With that, he turned and left, with Alex following him.

He _still_ didn't trust Magneto.

As the two Summers brothers left, Magneto sighed to himself; he knew who had talked Scott out of it. He tapped a button, opening the hidden panel that housed the cryo-stasis chambers. He walked to Charles' chamber, removing his helmet. '_Even in stasis, your mind is astounding, Charles._' he thought; he knew he was safe – the chamber dampened Charles' telepathy enough so that, at best, he could only _speak_ telepathically. '_You got to him, didn't you?_'

'_I only barely reached Scott, Erik._' Charles thought back, still seemingly asleep. '_Scott made that choice on his own._' He smiled.'_I couldn't be more proud of him._'

'_How touching._' Magneto thought flatly. '_When Kal-El sees the light, he may change his tune._'

'_Erik, what have you done to him?_' Charles thought.

'_Nothing lethal...yet._' Magneto thought. '_Even Kal-El's inspiring willpower must have a limit; soon, the pain will be too great for even **him** to stand, and he will accept his destiny._' With that, he put his helmet back on, and walked away from his old friend.

"Okay, Lensherr," Sabretooth said, "the kids turned you down! I'm next in line!"

Magneto sighed exasperatedly. "Very well." Sabretooth promptly got into the device, the hatch closing behind him, and Magneto activated it.

Flashes of red light emanated from inside, as feral, animal roars echoed from within...and then Magneto shut off the device, opening the hatch.

Out walked an evolved Victor Creed; his change had embraced his more animalistic side, turning him into an even more savage-looking creature, resembling his old self, but with thick, light brown fur, his coat shredded due to his increase in size and mass, with only his pants left intact, as he towered over them. Victor grunted. "_Nice._" he growled.

"Remember, Creed: due to your alterations, this effect may be temporary; repeated exposure will make it permanent." Magneto cautioned.

"_Got it._"

"Now it's _my_ turn." Mystique said.

Magneto checked the device, frowning. "Not yet, Raven. The device needs to cool down, first." he said. "In the meantime, we have work to do; the meteors are nearly in range." With that, he headed off, followed by Mystique and Sabretooth.

Pietro hadn't been in this good a mood in a long time.

He was walking down the hall, going to see the reason for his cheerful spirit. He reached the door, and opened the viewing-window, since his father kept the door locked.

Super-Dork was still there, still on the floor, bathed in the green light of the space-rock. He was still conscious, though he looked like he wouldn't be for too much longer.

He'd been that way for the past four hours.

"Hey, Super-Dork!" Pietro taunted, savoring every syllable. "Where's your super-speed, _now_, huh? Where's that super-strength? Why not use those eye-rays, or that breath of yours?"

Superman just ignored him.

"Oh, that's _right_! They're not _working_, right now!" Pietro mocked. "With that rock, you're just as mortal as the rest of us!"

Still nothing.

Pietro frowned; this was the third time he'd heckled the loser, but still no reaction. As much fun as it was to make fun of him, you could only mock someone who didn't react for so long.

But he was going to milk this opportunity for all it was worth.

"Face it, Super-Geek!" Pietro snapped. "You're not getting out of there! The only way you're gonna _live_ is if you work for my dad! And _that_ means working for _me_!"

Superman then spied the control that opened and closed the panel. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth...

...and slowly _stood up_.

Pietro was shocked. "No, you...you _can't_..."

Superman took a few steps, his motions indicating that every step was agony, but his jaw was firmly set. He took one more step...

His teeth gritted in agony, as he fell over, flat on his face.

Pietro smirked. "_Told_ ya!" he sneered. "Later, loser! Don't die _too_ fast!" With that, he walked off.

Lance was watching as Pietro left, shaking his head. The team speedster had a real hate for Superman. Fred and Todd didn't hate him _that_ much.

As for himself, well, he just didn't bother, too much. Knowing Superman, he'd probably be dead, soon; he wasn't going to take that offer.

He was _nuts_.

Walking over, Lance looked in through the window. "Hey." he said. Superman turned his head...arching an eyebrow quizzically at who it was. "Yeah, surprise, surprise." Lance said. "I've got nothing better to do. So, how you feeling?"

Superman just stared at him flatly.

"Oh yeah. Dumb question." Lance said. He _had_ to ask. "Look, why don't you just take Magneto's offer?" he asked. "Whatever moral issue you've got, it _can't_ be worse than..._that_!"

Superman's eyes narrowed crossly.

Lance frowned. "Sure, you say that _now_." he muttered. "That whole 'death before dishonor' thing is just plain _stupid_. Being a hero is even _stupider_. There's only one way that a hero's life ends: with a bullet in his head." He looked to Superman. "Or radiation in your room, in your case."

His voice turned bitter. "I guess that's how it goes. In the end, you're _alone_."

"Only if...you _choose_ to be."

Lance looked in, startled; he'd _talked_, sounding a bit better – he must be used to the pain, for now. "You're only alone...if you choose to be alone, Lance."

Lance saw red. "_What the hell do **you** know?!_" he yelled. "What would _you_ know about being alone?! You've never been abandoned! You've never been passed from one foster home to the next!! You've never..!!"

Superman's glare stopped him in his tracks. "Lance..." he said, "..._you don't know the **meaning** of the word!!_"

Lance froze. "What..?"

"Magneto told you I'm an alien." Superman said. "But what he _doesn't_ know is that I'm the _only_ survivor of my people! I am the _Last Son_ of Krypton, Lance! _There are NO OTHERS!!_"

'_Holy...he's the last?_' Lance thought.

"I'm the only one who remembers them, Lance." Superman said. "I'm the only carrier of Krypton's legacy. When I'm gone, the Kryptonian race, and all its achievements are gone _forever_. Everything they cherished, believed in, stood for...when I go, it all _stops_."

'_Whoa...heavy..._' Lance thought.

"I will never see my home world...because it _blew up_." Superman said. "I will never see my parents, because they're _dead_, along with _every other member of my people_. I will never love a woman of my kind, and thus I will likely never have a child of my own; I'm a different species from humanity, so it's likely that I can't have children with a human woman."

"_So don't you **dare** tell me I don't know what it is to be alone._"

Lance was nearly shocked silent. "Then...then _why_?!" he cried. "Why do you even _bother_ with anyone?! Why do you even _care_?!"

"Because I have a choice, Lance. It's the same choice _everyone_ has." Superman said. "_Everyone_ has a story, Lance; everyone has problems, troubles, things that hurt us."

He looked Lance square in the eye. "You can choose to let those things keep you down, Lance. Then they become your excuse." he said.

"Or you can choose to rise _above_ them...and then they become your _strength_."

Those words were eerily similar to what counselors had told him...but Lance wasn't annoyed, not this time...

...because Superman _meant_ it.

He _believed_ it.

He _lived_ it.

And for him, it _worked_.

Lance was getting the funny feeling that what he'd been doing all this time...was _wrong_...

He didn't like that feeling, not one bit.

"Lance," Superman said, his voice cracking – the pain was getting to him, "you don't know...what he plans to do...with this place..."

Lance was confused. "What? What's he gonna do?"

"You have to...destroy this place...your powers can...millions of innocent people...you can _save_ them..."

Then, he turned away, too weak to speak.

Lance was _royally_ freaked out, now. What _was_ Magneto up to? Lance had to find out. He walked off, looking around, for anything that might give him a clue.

It wasn't too long before Lance found Magneto, in a room with a strange-looking metal podium, with funny-looking handles, along with Mystique...and a 'wolfed-out' Sabretooth. Lance tried very hard not to look freaked-out. "Uh...Magneto?" he asked.

"Yes, Lance?" Magneto replied, standing on the podium.

"I...was just wondering: why _do_ you need a power-boost?" Lance asked. "I'm just curious."

Magneto smiled. "Well, I suppose you would find out, anyway," he said pleasantly, "so I'll _show_ you."

He gestured, his magnetism powering up a screen, showing a planet – Earth, Lance guessed – with a bunch of dots far from it, on a course that would take them away from Earth, passing by it. "Hey...are those..?"

"Meteors? Yes, they are." Magneto said. "_Iron-rich_ meteors, to be exact. _Watch_."

He grasped the handles, and _concentrated_. Lance felt the place just _shift_, and he felt pins and needles across his scalp. After a minute or so, Magneto stopped, extremely tired. Lance looked at the screen...and _froze_.

_The meteors had changed course._

They were on a much closer course past Earth, now...so close that _one more nudge like that would send them **towards** it._

Lance somehow managed to conceal his horror. "Oh." he said. "Of course."

Magneto smiled. "One more pull, and humanity will know us as this world's new masters."

"Right. Gotcha." Lance said. "Well, then...I won't bother you." He headed out of the room, getting well out of sight.

'_Holy crap, that guy's **nuts**!_' Lance thought. He was no saint, he admitted. He hadn't ever made an honest buck in his _life_...

...but he drew the line at _murder_. He wasn't _about_ to be a part of _genocide_.

'_I hope you insured this place, Mags,_' Lance thought, readying his power, '_cause you're about to get **rocked**!!_'

Suddenly he froze. _Kitty_. She and the X-Men were here, and Superman was still here, too. Superman would likely tell Lance to forget about him...but he _couldn't_ forget Kitty. He had to bust them out, first.

Besides, for all he knew, Magneto had earthquake-proofed the place.

Quickly, Lance ran off, to get help. He knew that Summers was around here, somewhere...

_S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier_

"General, something's happening!"

Nick Fury arched an eyebrow at that statement. "What?" he asked from the command chair.

"Satellite readings indicate that the M-19 meteors have...altered course, sir!" the lieutenant added.

Fury arched an eyebrow. "Could anything in Dr. Richards' team's report possibly explain this?" he asked.

"No, sir. The only possible explanation is a collision in space, but Dr. Richards' team never observed anything inbound that could alter their trajectory. And even so, it could only send _one_ meteor off-course! They're _all_ off-course, sir!"

Fury's eyes narrowed. '_I don't like this._' he thought. "Are they incoming?"

"Negative, sir. The meteors are still going to pass us...but they're pretty close, sir."

Fury turned to the Avengers standing off to the side; the whole team was here – Captain America, Wasp, Thor, Giant Man, and Iron Man, in his red-and-gold-colored high-tech armor. "Captain, could Doom be behind this?" Fury asked. He'd been waiting for that bastard to make a move...

"I don't think so, sir." Cap replied. "There's no motive; no demands, no threats...when Doom does anything, it's either to gain power, or in response to someone 'insulting his honor.' We haven't heard from him in _months_. I don't think he's behind this."

Fury nodded; Cap was right. This wasn't Doom's style. And this might all be a false alarm; the meteors could still pass safely.

But he still didn't like it. Not one bit.

Scott was just sitting in his room, thinking. Alex was sitting on the floor across from him. "So...this Magneto guy, he's really bad news?"

Scott nodded. "I'm sure of it." he replied. "I just can't prove it..."

"_I_ can."

Scott looked up. "Alvers? What're you doing here?"

"You're right, Summers. Mags is off his _rocker_!" Lance exclaimed. "He's using this place to pull _meteors_ onto Earth!"

"_WHAT?!!_" Scott exclaimed. "I _knew_ he was up to something?!" He glared at Lance...

"Hey, man, I _swear_ I didn't know! I only just found out!" Lance said. "He's got all your friends here, too! Even Superman! He's using some green rock to make him sick!"

"_Whoa!!_ Scott...you _know_ Superman?!" Alex exclaimed.

Scott froze. "A _glowing_ green rock?" he asked. Lance nodded. "Oh, no...that has to be that 'Kryptonite' stuff he told us about!"

"I know where they are! We have to bust 'em out!" Lance exclaimed. "Follow me!" With that, he ran off, and Scott and Alex followed him.

Lance led them to a room full of cryo-stasis chambers...with their friends trapped inside. Scott stopped before the one holding Jean...and he blasted the controls with his optic-blasts, opening it, causing Jean to tumble into his arms.

Slowly, Jean opened her eyes. "Scott..?"

Scott smiled. "Hey."

Jean smiled back. "Hi."

By then, everyone else had been freed. "What the..?" Rogue asked groggily...and she froze. "_Oh, **Hell**, no!!_"

"Chere!" Remy exclaimed, grinning. "Well, now Remy _know_ 'e ain' in 'ell, 'cause 'e sure wouldn' see an _angel_ if 'e _was_!"

"Oh, _that's_ it!!" Rogue yelled, removing her gloves. "Say yer prayers, Swamp-Rat, 'cause Ah'm drainin' ya _dry_!!"

"We don't have _time_ for this!!" Scott shouted. "Superman's in _trouble_!"

That stopped everyone. "What?" Ororo asked.

"_Flyboy_'s in trouble?" Logan asked.

"How?" Professor Xavier asked.

"Magneto has _Kryptonite_!!" Scott exclaimed.

Kitty gasped. "_OH MY GOSH!!_"

"Zat can _kill_ him!!" Kurt cried.

"We gotta help him!!" Evan exclaimed.

"Lance, take us to him!" Scott said. Lance nodded, and headed off, with everyone following him.

Lance led them to a locked lead door...with a toxic-green light shining from it. "Superman, hang on!!" Kitty cried, and she phased through the door, shorting out the lock and opening it, allowing everyone else in. She then tapped the panel-control, shutting it.

Almost instantly, Superman began to breathe easier, his color improving. Scott and Logan helped him up. "How you feeling, big guy?" Scott asked, smiling.

Superman half-smiled. "_Lousy_."

"_Whoa_..." Alex murmured, "...the dude's _real_..."

Scott smiled. "Everyone, this is my long-lost little brother Alex. Alex, everyone."

"Hate to break up the family reunion," Lance said, "but Mags is gonna pull _meteors_ to Earth, remember?!"

Professor Xavier's face went pale. "_What?!_"

"It's true, Professor." Superman said. "This place is a giant superconductor, and it's enhancing Magneto's powers...enough to pull the iron-rich meteors towards Earth."

"Dear Lord..." the Professor murmured, "...even in my most horrific nightmares, I would have _never_..." He lowered his gaze. "Erik, my old friend...how _could_ you..?"

"We have to stop him!" Scott declared.

"Well, we'd better _hurry_!" Lance said. "I heard Mags say that he only needed one more pull, and then it's Armageddon, all over again!"

Superman gestured towards the panel. "Well, _that_ stuff certainly has to go." he said.

Lance grinned. "I think I can help." he said. He walked over, and touched the lead, using his power.

Instantly, the lead began to rumble, and fold...completely encasing the Kryptonite. "I think you can move it, now." he added.

Superman smiled. "Thanks." he said. Reaching for his cape, he tore a clean strip from its edge, shortening the cape, and tied the strip around the lead bundle, before hefting it over his shoulder like a backpack. "I just need a little sunlight, and I can just toss this stuff off the _planet_."

"Well, we've crossed a few time-zones, getting here." the Professor said. "By my calculations, dawn is minutes away."

"Good." Superman said. To everyone, he added, "Can you guys keep Magneto busy while I recharge?"

Scott smiled. "No problem, big guy."

Jean nodded. "We can handle things, here. You just get yourself better!"

"Just be careful, Flyboy." Logan warned, sniffing the air. "Creed's around here. If he finds ya in yer state..."

"Plus, he's packin' a whole lot more power!" Lance said.

"He must've used that device." Scott observed.

"I'll be careful." Superman said. "I know where the balcony is." He smiled. "Just keep Magneto from using his power again; you'll have backup, soon!"

"Good luck!" Scott said.

"You, too!" With that, Superman headed off, while Lance led them in the opposite direction, towards Magneto.

Sabretooth was just walking through the hallway...when he smelled it. There was no scent quite like it.

_The alien._

'_How the hell did he get out?!_' Victor Creed mentally fumed. Then, he smiled. '_But he's still weak from that rock..._'

What Magneto didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Sabretooth began to track the scent, following his prey.

He found Superman waiting on the balcony where he'd landed, watching the horizon...waiting for something. Victor could see just a hint of red on the horizon.

Roaring, Sabretooth pounced, grabbed Superman's feet, and dangled him over the edge. He'd thought about just tearing him to shreds...but that was too _good_ for the flying runt.

"_Let's see you fly NOW, runt!!_" Sabretooth sneered. "_I'm gonna drop your sorry little alien ass! Beg for your life, runt!! **BEG**!!_"

Superman looked at him...and just smiled. "Just do me a favor and let me _drop_." he said.

Enraged, Sabretooth did just that; he let go, letting Superman fall.

Laughing, Sabretooth headed back in. '_Payback is **sweet**!_'

Superman was laughing to himself as he fell; Sabretooth had done _exactly_ what he'd wanted him to do. Still, he wasn't out of the woods yet; he hoped he'd timed this right. He watched the horizon. '_Come on...come on..._'

Then, the golden rays of the sun burst out of the mists, streaking towards him and bathing him in their warmth.

'_YES!!_'

Superman instantly pulled up from his death-dive, shooting high into the sky, easily breaking orbit, hovering in space. He looked towards the sun...and hurled the lead-packaged Kryptonite towards it...where it would eventually be incinerated. That task done, he let the rays of the sun bathe him.

In seconds, his full power was restored. He felt better than ever.

Superman was ready to _rock_.

He flew back towards Earth, heading for Asteroid M.

It was time to _end_ this.

Scott and the others reached the control room _just_ as Magneto was heading towards the metal podium. Scott unleashed an optic-blast, sending him flying. "Game over, Magneto!"

"What..?!" Magneto roared.

The Professor glared at his old friend. "You've gone too far, Erik." he said. "We can't let you do this."

"I'm securing the future of our people!" Magneto exclaimed. "And in case you haven't noticed, Charles," Sabretooth, Mystique, and the other Brotherhood members walked into view, "my forces outmatch yours."

Suddenly, the room began to rumble, as the ceiling shook violently...and Superman burst into the room from above. "Mind if I drop in?"

Scott grinned. "What took you so long?"

Superman smiled. "Traffic was murder."

"What the.._how did you get out?!!_" Quicksilver cried.

Lance then stepped into view. "Bet you want to take back some of those words you said, eh, Pietro?" he quipped.

"And I wouldn't rely on that Kryptonite in the future, Magneto." Superman said. "It's half-way to the _sun_, by now!" Then, he grinned at Sabretooth. "Thanks, Vic! Couldn't have done it without you!"

"_What the...I DROPPED your sorry ass! I SAW YOU FALL!!_" Sabretooth roared.

Superman shook his head. "Vic, Vic, Vic...didn't you notice the sun coming up?"

Sabretooth snarled. "_So?!!_"

Superman laughed. "I'm _solar-powered_, you moron!"

Magneto's face twisted in rage. "Creed, you _**IDIOT**!!_"

Pietro was equally enraged. "_You...you lousy TRAITOR!!_" he roared at Lance. Then, the entire combined Brotherhood leapt to the attack.

Sabretooth leapt at Superman, swinging at him. Superman easily dodged the punch, and countered with a lightning-fast flurry of punches, striking Creed's gut faster than a _machine-gun_. "Wolverine!" he yelled. "Alley-oop!"

Instantly, Wolverine came at Sabretooth, leaping off Superman's shoulders, slashing the dazed Creed numerous times with his claws.

As Sabretooth stumbled back, Logan grinned. "I guess I can let you help in my battle _this_ time." he said. "Batter-up, Flyboy!" At once, Superman picked up Logan by his ankles, spun him a few times, and sent him flying right at Sabretooth, turning him into a living torpedo, claws-first.

Logan's claws connected, sinking deep into Sabretooth's chest, causing the feral mutant to howl in pain...to be silenced as Superman flew at Sabretooth, slamming him with a punch, sending him crashing through the floor, going deep into the asteroid's bowels.

Logan winced. "He'll be feelin' _that_ tomorrow." he said.

Roaring, Blob rushed at Scott...only to stop, confused, as Jean levitated him off the ground. Scott smiled at her, and then slammed Blob with an optic-blast, sending him flying. As Blob got up, Alex swung at him, his hand-blasts igniting, sending Blob flying once again.

Alex grinned. "Hey...I think I'm getting the hang of these, Bro!"

As a dazed Blob started to recover, Storm summoned lightning, shocking the massive mutant into unconsciousness.

As Toad hopped at Kitty, he let fly a slime-glob...which impacted against the solid wall of rock that Lance raised from the floor. Smiling at Lance, Kitty then ran through the wall and leapt at Toad, phasing his feet into the ground, rising out behind him.

Remy then stepped forward. "Since y' liked Remy's last game, 'e went n' made 'nother, just for y'." he said. He took out his deck and shuffled it. "Remy t'ink 'e call it..._Fifty-Two Pick-Up!!_" He split his deck in half, with one half in each hand, spreading them like a fan. One-by-one, each card began to glow a deadly red.

Toad's eyes widened. "_Uh-oh._"

Remy flicked the cards at him with darts-champion accuracy, setting off a cascade of explosions, sending a very singed Toad crashing into the wall, out cold.

Lance chuckled. "Nice."

"Y' should see Remy at de poker table."

As Evan ran at Mystique, brandishing a bone-staff, the shape-shifter back-flipped away, kicking Evan in the chin as she did. "Sorry, but I can't stay and play." she said. With that, she changed into a rat, and scurried into a hole, escaping.

Evan was about to go after her, when Quicksilver started to run circles around him. Evan got an idea; he took aim and threw his staff. The bony spike stuck into the floor...directly in Quicksilver's path. The speedy mutant tripped on it, falling flat on his face.

Angered, Quicksilver was about to _really_ stick it to Evan...when he saw Wolverine and Superman looking down at where Sabretooth had fallen, and he saw red.

He ran at Superman, leaping into a flying kick at Mach Two, to hit him right between the shoulder-blades.

Superman never even so much as flinched.

Quicksilver stumbled to the side with a sore foot, and then ran at Superman again, ready to deck him...

Superman turned, and caught his fist, eyes narrowed crossly. "_Enough._"

He flicked his wrist, sending Pietro flying, to land hard on his rear.

Scott then noticed that Magneto was heading for the metal podium; none of them could get there in time. "_Superman, stop him!!_"

Instantly, Superman's eyes narrowed, glowing red, as he fired his heat rays...

The deadly beams lanced through the podium's power-supply seconds after Magneto's hand touched the controls.

The resulting explosion sent the Master of Magnetism flying, landing flat on his back...

...and he began to _laugh_...

"_General, we have incoming!!_"

Nick fury closed his eyes. '_I hate being right._' "Status?"

"The meteors have changed course again, sir! They're heading straight for Earth!"

Fury's eyes narrowed. "Get our weapons satellites into position! Arm our anti-air missiles! Prepare to fire!"

"We _can't_, sir!" the lieutenant cried. "There was a massive electromagnetic surge during the course-change; it knocked out all our satellites! And without satellite telemetry, our missiles are _blind_! A systems-reboot will get them back in ten minutes!"

"_And how long until those things hit?!_"

The lieutenant looked to have aged fifty years. "In...five minutes, sir."

"Then you've got _four_ minutes to get those satellites online!!" Fury barked. As his people worked their asses off, Fury could only watch as the meteors inched closer to Earth...

_International Space Station_

"But...Reed, that _can't_ be right!"

Reed nodded. "It _is_ right, Sue! The meteors have changed course! They're headed straight for Earth!"

Sue was horrified. "We've got to _do_ something! We have to stop them!"

"Ben, how long until you can get the shuttle ready?" Reed asked.

"Sorry, Reed; it'll be a good fifteen minutes before that bird's good to go!" Ben exclaimed.

"_I_ can do it! I'll go out there, flame-on and _fry_ those things!" Johnny said.

"It wouldn't work, Johnny." Reed said. "Your powers need _oxygen_, remember?"

"_Dammit_, Reed, I've got to _try_..!!"

"It won't help!!" Sue exploded. Glumly, she added, "There's nothing we can do..."

Reed felt as glum as Sue felt. Millions of innocent people were going to die...

...and there was nothing they could do about it.

_New York City_

Dawn had yet to come to New York, and Spider-Man was spending those last few dark hours on patrol. He'd stopped a few robberies, busted up a few gangs, and just generally upheld the law. It had been a good night.

Stopping on top of a skyscraper, Spider-Man happened to look up into the waning night sky...

...and spied numerous bright dots, much brighter than stars.

'_Weird,_' he thought, '_it's too late for stars, so what are **those**?_'

He didn't know why, but those lights were making his spider-sense get antsy.

Magneto's laugh made everyone's hair stand on end. "_You're too late!!_" the Master of Magnetism crowed. "I pulled the meteors enough to get them into Earth's gravity-well! Even _I_ can't stop them, now!!"

By then, the entire base was starting to shake. "This base is about to fall apart, but it has served its purpose." Magneto said, standing up. "I would advise you and your students to leave, Charles." To Superman, he added, "You're welcome to try and stop the meteors, Kal-El...if you _can_!" Then, before anyone could stop him, he darted into a hidden door, escaping as it shut behind him.

Scott didn't know what to do. He looked to Jean, who looked back mournfully.

"Ha!!"

Everyone turned to see Pietro as he got up, the rest of the Brotherhood getting up, as well. "You lose, X-Geeks!" Pietro declared. "You can't stop those meteors, now!"

"Whoa..._meteors_?" Toad said. "_That's_ what your dad was doing?! He was pulling _meteors_ towards Earth?"

"But...but..." Blob murmured, "...my Grandma lives in Texas...meteors aren't gonna fall _there_, are they?!"

"_No._ They're _not_."

It had been Superman who'd spoken. "Give it up, Super-Dork! You _lost_!" Pietro yelled. "You can't turn them back!"

"No, I can't." Superman admitted. "I had something else in mind."

"What, you're gonna blast 'em as they fall?" Pietro sneered. Superman just smiled. "No...no _way_." Pietro said incredulously. "_No freakin' way!_ Not even _you're_ dumb enough to try that!!"

"Superman...can you do it?" Scott asked.

"Get everyone out of here." Superman instructed. "Get as far from here as you can."

"Good luck." Scott said.

"Be careful." Jean added.

"_Bon chance, mon ami._" Remy said.

Superman smiled. "_Merci._" he replied.

"Are you out of your little green _mind_?!" Pietro yelled. "That's not brave!! It's _stupid_!! Those humans are gonna _die_, and there's nothing you can _do_ about it!!"

Superman just smiled. "Sorry, Pietro." he said. "I guess, when I read the dictionary, I skipped the Q-Section..._because I don't know the **meaning** of the word 'quit'!!_"

With that, he shot up through the hole in the ceiling, flying out into the sky, and through it.

"Whoa..." Alex murmured.

"Can he really do it?" Lance asked.

"Remy 'ate t' say it, but 'e ain' sure if _anybody_ can pull dat off." Remy said.

Kitty smiled. "He can...and he _will_." she said, looking up after Superman.

"Superman doesn't know _how_ to fail."

"Come _on_, people!! _Talk_ to me..!!"

"Sorry, General, but we're still six minutes away from complete reboot!" the lieutenant said.

'_Dammit, we've got to get fliers in the air and take those things out!_' Fury thought. "Thor?"

"Even the son of Odin requires air, General." Thor replied.

"Iron Man?!"

"_Sorry, General, but there's still too much EM interference from whatever knocked out those satellites. My suit would turn into a paperweight before I even left the stratosphere._"

"General, we have a bogey!"

'_Oh, what **now**?!_' Fury thought. "Another inbound?"

"N-No, sir, it's..._outbound_."

_That_ surprised Fury. "Did any of our allies launch any missiles?"

"Negative, sir. Whatever this is, it launched from...the _North Pole_, sir...and it's moving _way_ too fast to be a missile. It's going at Mach Five..._no_...Mach _Six_..._no_..."

Fury happened to glance to the Avengers...and saw the knowing grin on Cap's face. "_Go get 'em, kid._" Cap whispered.

Fury honestly didn't know if that kid – Superman – could do it...so he wasn't going to leave it to chance. "_Double-time, people!!_" he barked. He kept watching the screen. '_Good luck, kid..._' he thought.

'_...you're gonna need it._'

"Holy...Reed, take a look at this!!"

Ben's exclamation startled Reed out of his glumness. "What is it, Ben?"

"Something's coming up from the North Pole!" Ben replied, gesturing to radar. "It's heading towards those meteors, and I mean _fast!!_"

Reed blinked. "What could it be?"

Ben grinned. "Three guesses!"

Reed paused...and then grinned. "Of _course_!"

Sue slapped her forehead, smiling. "How _dumb_ are we?! How could we forget about _him_?"

Reed smiled, looking out the Station's porthole. '_Godspeed, Superman._' he thought.

If _anyone_ could stop those meteors, _he_ could.

Superman shot up through the atmosphere, breaching it and coming out into the edges of space. He could see the meteors clearly, now; they were coming in, accelerating with Earth's gravity.

He _had_ to stop them.

Superman flew into their path; the first meteors were small, the size of basketballs. His eyes glowed red as his heat-rays fired, incinerating them from afar. As they got closer, he slammed them with his fists, pummeling them into tinier pieces, which easily burned up in the atmosphere.

Now the meteors were getting bigger; the next batch were the size of houses and minivans. Superman blasted them with his eye-rays until they fractured into smaller pieces, and pummeled them when they got close. He darted from one meteor to the next, slamming each one into dust. He couldn't slow down, not now. Finally, all the meteors were gone...

...except one.

'_Hoo, boy._' Superman thought; this last meteor was a _monster_, the size of a _skyscraper_, or _bigger_. His eyes narrowed, and he fired his eye-rays.

The beam impacted the meteor...but it didn't slow down.

Superman gritted his teeth; he was only using 10 percent.

He upped his power-usage to _20_ percent.

His eye-beam widened, doubling in destructive force...but the meteor did not slow.

Superman exhaled sharply, and used _30_ percent.

The beam widened again. _Finally_, the meteor began to glow red as the beam struck it, fracturing...

It was getting dangerously close to the atmosphere. Any closer and it would start re-entry.

...and then the meteor exploded in a mighty blast, fracturing into space-dust.

Superman stopped his beam, breathing a sigh of relief...until he saw a horrifying sight.

The meteor hadn't been completely destroyed. One minivan-sized fragment remained...which had just been pushed into a fast re-entry by the blast, glowing red from the heat of the atmosphere.

Superman dove after it, flying into an equally-fast re-entry, his own form taking the heat easily. He fired his eye-beams...but the turbulence of re-entry made him miss, his beam going wide.

He focused, and fired again...but his beam went wide to the left, missing by a narrower margin.

He could see where the meteor was heading: New York City.

He fired _again_. This time, the beam impacted on the side, blasting off a chunk...while the rest kept falling.

It was only seconds away, now...

Superman's eyes narrowed in determination. He would not let this happen.

_Failure was **not** an option._

He lined up the meteor, and _fired_. The beam hit dead-center, causing the meteor to heat up, glowing red...

Five seconds, now...four..._three_..._two_...

With a roar of sheer will, Superman blasted the meteor apart, as it exploded into harmless dust, miles above the city. With a gasp of relief, Superman pulled up, streaking across the New York sky, a sonic boom echoing behind him. He flew north, towards the dying Asteroid M.

He hoped he wasn't too late.

Spider-Man could now easily see the blazing red streak in the sky. '_T-That's a **meteor**!!_' Spider-Man thought. It was heading towards the city...

Suddenly, Spider-Man could see a red beam lance after the meteor. Then another. Then _another_. '_Hey...is that..?_'

Then, a final red beam blasted the meteor apart, miles above the city, and _something_ shot overhead, a sonic boom echoing behind it, the city now safe.

Behind his mask, Spider-Man smiled. '_You **rock**, Big Blue..._'

From the Station, Reed and his team saw it all. "He did it..." Reed murmured, smiling.

Ben let out a huge, whooping laugh, hugging Reed and Sue in both arms. "Son of a gun!!" he whooped. "That crazy alien _did_ it!!"

Sue hugged Reed as Ben let them go. "Reed, he _did_ it!!" she exclaimed.

Johnny laughed aloud. "I don't believe it!!" he crowed.

Reed laughed, as he looked down at their planet, safe once more. "Superman...thank you..." he said softly.

A cheer broke out among the entire Helicarrier crew as the last meteor vanished from the screen.

"All meteors destroyed, sir!" the lieutenant reported. "I...I have no _idea_ how, but they're gone! I...I guess we have a guardian angel, or something!"

Fury managed to keep a smile off his face, even though the Avengers were grinning to themselves. "Not bad, kid." he said to himself.

"Not bad at all."

When Superman returned to the far north, everyone else had evacuated the Asteroid...but it was falling too fast.

They couldn't get away.

Superman landed next to Scott and his brother. He looked to the falling Asteroid, then to Scott.

Scott nodded in understanding, and looked to Alex, who also nodded.

Scott looked up at the meteor, and took off his glasses, firing his optic-blasts at the falling structure. Alex focused, firing his hand-blasts. Superman then joined in, firing his eye-rays.

All three blasts hit the asteroid, crumbling it...but not fast enough to destroy it in time.

Superman's eyes narrowed; he wasn't _about_ to lose his family. Not like this. Not now.

Not _ever_.

Superman then tapped _50_ percent of his power in his eye-rays. His beam widened...to the width of a _car_, with enough sheer destructive force to level a _city_. His beam hit the Asteroid with the force of a small _nuke_, crumbling the rock, allowing his friends' beams to go deeper, their blasts combining to utterly destroy the Asteroid. In seconds, the structure crumbled into dust.

All three of them ceased their blasts. "Whoa..." Scott murmured, "...Superman...how much power did you _use_?"

Superman, tired from everything he'd endured today, especially the Kryptonite, said, "Fifty percent."

Scott smiled. "You couldn't have picked a better time to cut loose, big guy."

Superman smiled tiredly. "Thanks." he said, feeling drowsy. "But, right now, I...am..._pooped_."

He felt his eyes just close; he just needed to _rest_...

Scott had to smile as he saw Superman fall asleep, standing up. '_After what he's been through, he's **earned** it._'

But then he started to tip backwards. "Whoa there, big guy!" Alex said, rushing to prop up Superman.

"Easy, now," Lance said, rushing to help Alex support him, "we've got you..._whoa_, son of a _bitch_! What's this guy eat for breakfast? _Rocks?!_"

"_Holy!_ What's he made out of, Scott? Cast-iron?" Alex exclaimed.

Scott smiled. "More like stainless _steel_, Bro."

Quickly, all the X-Men, and Gambit, moved to help carry Superman towards the Blackbird, except Professor Xavier, who could not. "Let's go home." the Professor said, smiling. "We've all had a busy few days."

"Uh...Professor X?"

The X-Men stopped at Toad's sheepish question, as he stood with the rest of the Brotherhood, who had also escaped with them. "Uh...I know we ain't exactly all the best of pals and stuff, but could we...I don't know, maybe...hitch a ride home?"

The Professor smiled. "Well, seeing as how you honestly did not know about Magneto's plan...I suppose we can let you ride with us." At that, the X-Men, carrying Superman, all boarded the Blackbird, followed by the Brotherhood. The Blackbird then took off, heading home.

Scott buckled the snoozing Superman into a chair, and then sat down in a chair himself, next to Jean.

Jean smiled. '_Thanks for getting me out of there._' she sent to him telepathically.

Scott smiled. '_Hey, what are friends for?_'

'_And the Professor told me that he knew that you refused to use Magneto's machine._' Jean added. '_I could not be more proud of you, Slim. Superman isn't the **only** hero, around here._'

Scott felt like his smiling-muscles were about to cramp up. '_I do what I can, Jean...just like any X-Man would._'

Pietro could only scowl at the sleeping Superman from his seat in the back.

'_I do not believe this. I abso-freakin'-lutely do not **believe** it!_'

Superman had saved the day. _Again_.

He'd been exposed to that rock, that 'Kryptonite,' he'd chased a whole _shower_ of meteors through re-entry – and blasted every single one – and he _still_ saved the X-Geeks!

Right now, Super-Dork was sleeping peacefully in his chair, completely oblivious to Pietro's festering hatred.

'_You're gonna get yours, Super-Loser._' Pietro thought. '_I'm gonna make sure of it._'

As he watched the Blackbird fly away, Magneto smiled.

Kal-El had done it. He had actually saved the humans from his meteors.

It only reinforced what Magneto believed: that Kal-El was the leader that _Homo superior_ needed.

'_Very well, Kal-El._' he thought. '_Proceed with your heroics. When mutants are revealed, you will see humans for what they are: completely unworthy of you._'

With that, Magneto levitated away.

Magneto hadn't been the _only_ one watching the Blackbird.

From a mountain cliff, Mystique watched...in her new, evolved body: leaner, slimmer, stronger, her shifting powers at their full potential, her hair slightly longer, her clothes tattered from using that machine before the Asteroid had fallen.

'_I'm through playing second-fiddle to Lensherr._' she thought. '_Time for my own agenda._'

She shifted into her namesake, and flew off.

With a loud roar, Sabretooth dug himself out of the snow he'd been buried in, now normal again...well, as normal as he ever got. He was _steamed_.

That little runt had knocked him _all the way through the Asteroid, and out the other side!!_

"I'm coming for ya, runt." Sabretooth growled. Looking around, he then groaned. "In probably half a year, maybe _more_...when I get back to civilization."

Grumbling to himself, he started to hike through the snow.

When Superman came to, he was in a bed in the Institute infirmary, clad in only his uniform pants.

He sat up, feeling _much_ better, now. He looked around...and smiled. Everyone had been waiting for him. Currently, they were all asleep, all in their street clothes. The Professor was asleep in his wheelchair; Scott and Jean were snoozing in their chairs; Kurt was sleeping on top of a medical cupboard; Rogue was sitting cross-legged against the wall, eyes closed; Evan was sitting on his skateboard, asleep; Logan was leaned against a wall, snoring; Ororo was sitting in a chair, her head resting against a pillow; Remy was sleeping lightly as he sat by the wall, his bo-staff in his hand; Lance, snoring, was sitting on the floor beside a chair...

...the chair which held Kitty, snoozing, Superman's uniform-top and belt in her lap...his cape stitched and mended.

Superman smiled: Kitty, the sweet baby sister he'd never had. He got out of bed, walked over, and quietly took the uniform-top from her lap, putting it on. She'd stitched the cape perfectly; it was as good as new. He then took the belt, putting it around his waist, the buckle locking together with a _click_.

That _click_ woke Kitty up. "_You're okay!!_" she squealed, leaping up and hugging him.

Superman chuckled. "Well, I _won't_ be if you hug the stuffing out of me." he joked. Kitty smiled apologetically, letting go.

Her exclamation woke everyone else up. "Hey, look who's back!" Evan exclaimed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kurt asked.

Superman froze; his hearing picking something up. "Train. Bridge out. Texas..." he began, but then stopped. "No, wait. False alarm. TV Western Movie Marathon."

Rogue chuckled. "He's okay."

"You had us worried." Jean said.

"You've been out for a _day_, Superman." Scott added.

Superman chuckled. "Hey, _you_ try getting dosed with Kryptonite for four hours, and _then_ chase meteors through re-entry, and see if _you_ end up looking like a million bucks!" he laughed.

That made everyone laugh. "While you were out, Superman, there's been a fair bit of news." Ororo said. "It seems that the planet just had a near-miss...but somehow, the meteors just 'vanished.' No-one knows how."

"That reminds me." Logan said. "Fury called here to get the details; we told him we had everything under control. He told me to tell Flyboy this: 'Not bad.'"

Kitty frowned. "That's _it_?!" she exclaimed.

"Half-Pint, this is Brigadier General Nicholas 'Iron-Pants' Fury we're talking about." Logan said. "When it comes to praise, he's tighter than a Republican at tax-breaks. A 'not bad' from him is nothing to sneeze at."

Professor Xavier smiled. "Superman, you have – quite literally – saved the world." he said. "Only a rare man can hold the weight of the world on his shoulders...but it takes a _true_ Atlas not to shrug." His smile grew. "It's an honor to have you here."

Superman just smiled. "Hey, I just do what I can, just like everyone else." he said. "And it _was_ a team effort."

Remy chuckled. "Remy got t' admit, y' do some righteous stuff, _mon ami_." he said. "Remy's jus' curious: is it too late for Remy t' apply t' dis place? Maybe all dat hero stuff is somet'ing dat Remy can do, aft'r all."

The Professor smiled. "We would love to have you, Remy."

"Oh, _Hell_, no!!" Rogue yelled. "Ya _can't_ let him in, Professor! Do ya _know_ how much he'll be pesterin' meh?! He'll drive meh _nuts_!!"

Remy frowned. "Remy don' go _nowhere_ he ain' wanted, chere." he said. "All y' got t' do is look Remy in de eyes an' tell 'im y' don' want 'im t' bother y'. Do dat, an' Remy will trouble y' no more."

Rogue paused. "Uh...um...well..." she stammered, flustered.

Remy grinned. "Dat's what Remy t'ought, chere."

Rogue's eyes narrowed, though her face was slightly pink. "Ah _ain't_ yer 'chere'!!"

Chuckling, Lance interrupted, "Since we're on the subject...do you think you could hand out one more application? Because...well...I was just wondering..."

The Professor chuckled. "Well?" he asked everyone.

Scott smiled. "He _did_ help us out."

Logan chuckled. "It's fine with me."

Everyone else gave similar words of agreement.

The Professor smiled. "Welcome to the Institute, Lance."

Just then Superman picked up something; this was no false alarm – it was on the international emergency channel. "_Uh-oh._"

Scott knew that expression. "Uh-oh."

So did Jean. "Uh-oh."

As did everyone else. "Uh-oh."

Lance didn't. "'Uh-oh'??"

"Spain. Ship coming in. Engine fire. They're taking on water." Superman said, his eyes closed as he listened.

Jean chuckled. "Looks like another job for Superman!"

Instantly, Superman headed out of the infirmary, but not before Lance called, "Hey, Superman...Kal-El...whatever you call yourself...good luck!"

Superman stopped, and looked back, smiling. "My friends call me Clark Kent." he said. With that, he darted off, opening a window and zooming out of it, flying off at top speeds, a sonic boom echoing behind him.

He was still needed.


	15. Loose Ends

EPILOGUE: LOOSE ENDS

_Louisiana, New Orleans, May 19, 2007_

In her home, Irene Adler was just sipping her tea, sitting in her favorite chair, when she heard someone come in. She smiled. "Hello, Raven." the blind oracle said.

Mystique smiled. "You foresaw me coming, didn't you?"

"Most often, the future presents itself ambiguously...but occasionally, I can see it in perfect clarity." Destiny said.

Mystique's smile became wry. "Well, I hate to say this, but your record's just gotten its first blemish." she said. "Your prophecy was wrong."

"Oh?"

"Magneto didn't recruit Superman." Mystique said. "He has no apparent interest in helping Magneto."

Irene smiled knowingly. "Raven, don't you remember the _first_ part of the prophecy? '_Death shall rain from the sky, with unquenchable fire, but the Child will strive on, and shall never tire_'."

Mystique's eyes widened. "The meteors..."

"Precisely. And he _stopped_ them." Irene said. "I think the prophecy is still on-track. The prophecy isn't incorrect; it simply is not yet completely fulfilled. The Child of the Star still has much ahead of him. He merely passed this first trial...with flying colors, I must admit."

Mystique frowned to herself. "I see." she replied. She was going to have to be careful in her own agenda.

She'd sacrificed nearly _everything_ for Magneto's scheme...but she was _done_ with that, now.

She had her _own_ plans for the future.

_Xavier Institute_

It had been about a week since the events at Asteroid M. The X-Men had just enjoyed their week off, and the two new recruits – Lance and Remy – had started to adjust to life at the Institute. Alex had decided to spend a week at the Institute, to go back to Hawaii today.

And Superman still patrolled the planet, and was _extra_-wary, on the lookout for electromagnetic fields...but he'd found none. It seemed that Magneto was laying low.

For now.

It was early in the afternoon when Superman returned to the Institute. After darting into his room and changing into his street clothes, Clark met everyone in the living room, as Alex was saying goodbye to everyone, with Scott and Logan going to drop him home.

"It was great meeting you all!" Alex said. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be back, someday!"

Scott smiled. "Hope so, Little Bro."

Clark had just walked in when Kitty spoke. "Guys, it was just last week when we all pretty much helped save the world...and we haven't done anything to _celebrate_!" she exclaimed. "We all should do _something_ before Alex has to go!"

"Well, like what, Kitty?" Lance asked.

Kurt suddenly smiled. "Hey...isn't _Smallville_ on zhe vay to Hawaii?" he asked.

Clark knew where he was going with this. "Kurt, don't you even _think_ about it." he said firmly.

Kitty brightened. "Yeah, it _is_!" she exclaimed. "How about a little detour, Alex?"

"I don't get it. What's in Smallville?" Alex asked.

"Martha Kent, Clark's Mom...and the best cook we've ever _seen_." Scott chuckled.

Evan grinned. "Yeah, we could all _use_ a home-style meal!" he laughed.

"Guys! We are _not_ raiding my Mom's fridge!" Clark said, half-laughing. "End of discussion!"

Lance looked amazed. "Wow. She's _that_ good?"

"She's _amazing_! She's a _genius_!" Kitty exclaimed.

Remy grinned. "Remy 'ave 'eartburn, _already_." he chuckled.

"_Forget_ it!" Clark laughed. "We are _not_ doing it!"

"Oh, _please_, Clark?" Kitty pleaded. "Please, please, _please_?"

"_No_, Kitty. I'm sorry, but we are _not_ going to just drop in unannounced just so my Ma can fix us a meal." Clark said firmly. "You can beg all you want, but I am _not_ going to cave."

_Fifteen minutes later..._

"I can't believe I caved." Clark muttered, sitting in the Blackbird with everyone else, including the instructors, as they flew towards Smallville and the Kent Farm. He'd managed to hold out...

...until Kitty had pulled out those big "puppy-dog eyes" that were impossible to say no to.

"'ey, y' lasted a lot longer den _Remy_ would 'ave." Remy commented.

"Don't feel _too_ bad, Flyboy." Logan added. "I can't even _tell_ ya how many times Half-Pint's gotten me with those eyes of hers."

Scott grinned. "Hope Mrs. Kent doesn't mind us dropping in."

"That's what _I_ was worried about." Clark said, chuckling.

Kitty laughed. "Clark, you worry too much! I'm sure your Mom will _love_ having family over!"

Lance chuckled. "Yeah, we're quite a family, Kit. A bunch of mutants and an alien! You could do a _TV show_ about us!"

Scott chuckled. "_Sure_, Alvers."

Professor Xavier smiled. "Well, I hope you all don't mind, but I hope to recruit several new students for the fall." he said.

Alex grinned. "Careful, Superman! There might be a mutant-alien, somewhere on this planet!"

Scott laughed. "Alex, come _on_!"

Clark smiled. "Actually, that kind of relates to my people's history." he said. "Eons ago, we were a lot like humans today. Then, slowly, we began to develop these kinds of powers; mutation isn't exclusive to Earth, I guess."

"_Cool!_" Kurt exclaimed.

Clark looked a bit grim. "Unfortunately, all this power caused some Kryptonians to get power-hungry. Several groups formed, and a terrible war began." he added. "It would have gone on forever, had it not been for the Twelve Wise Ones."

"Who?" Jean asked.

"The Twelve Wise Ones were Kryptonians, who had the amazing physical abilities of most of the Kryptonian race...but _also_ had abilities that let them understand the minds and hearts of others." Clark said.

"_Telempaths_..." the Professor murmured, "...capable of telepathy _and_ empathy."

Clark nodded. "Their gifts gave the Wise Ones great wisdom, enough to not only end the war, but lay the foundation of modern Kryptonian society." he replied. "They first formed the ruling body of Krypton, the Council of Twelve. One of them was my ancient ancestor, Von-El, the founder of my family, the House of El. As time went on, fewer and fewer Kryptonians with the same gifts as the Wise Ones were ever seen; the gene that caused their powers just became diluted among the population, I guess." He chuckled. "My people came to call it the 'W-Gene,' as it imparted _wisdom_ to those who first exhibited it."

Evan chuckled. "Okay, _that_ is _extremely_ cool, CK!" he said.

Before too long, the Blackbird reached the Kent farm, and touched down silently in their field. Clark smiled as he disembarked, as he saw his Ma rush up to greet him. "What a surprise!" she exclaimed, hugging him.

"It's good to see you, Ma." Clark replied. "I hope you don't mind us dropping by on such short notice."

"Oh, of _course_ not!" Martha laughed. "You're _always_ welcome here!"

Kurt was first to ask. "Frau Kent...vere you about to have lunch, anytime soon?"

Martha smiled. "Well, Kurt, I was just about to get something ready...but from the look of all of you, I'll need to do a _big_ lunch!"

A cheer went up from the rest of the Institute students.

Within the hour, a Kent-class lunch was well underway, with Clark helping his Ma in the kitchen. Clark had volunteered so that he could get his Ma up to speed on what had happened.

"...that Magneto actually used _Kryptonite_ on my boy?!" Martha fumed. "Ooh, when I get my _hands_ on him..!!"

"Calm down, Ma!" Clark said, chuckling. "We've already stuck it to him; we wrecked his plan."

Martha looked relieved. "I'd heard about those meteors...Clark, _you_ stopped them, didn't you?"

Clark smiled sheepishly. "Well, it was a team-effort, but...yeah, I did _that_ part."

Martha smiled, before walking over to him and kissing his cheek. "My boy saved the world..." she murmured, "...Clark, I could not _be_ more proud of you...and neither could your father."

Clark smiled. "You'll be happy to know that I plan to modify my nano-suit to repel Kryptonite radiation, Ma." he said. "That trick won't work _twice_ for Magneto."

"Such a sensible boy." Martha said, smiling. "But...there's still something bothering you, isn't there?"

Clark nodded; Magneto had mentioned an associate, one with magic powerful enough to conceal Genosha. Furthermore, Magneto's use of superconductors had a flaw: to achieve superconductivity, the Asteroid's core would have to be cooled to near-absolute zero, zero degrees Kelvin. The North Pole had temperatures of minus fifty Celsius; around 223 degrees Kelvin.

_The Pole was still too warm to achieve superconductivity by natural cooling._

"There's still a few things bugging me, Ma." he admitted. Then, he had a thought. "Can you manage here, Ma? I need to go check on things."

"Of course, honey. I'm fine; you do what you need to do."

Smiling, Clark kissed his mother good-bye, and darted outside, shedding his street-clothes, revealing his uniform underneath, a blue-and-red blur to anyone watching. Superman then took off into the sky, flying north, a sonic boom echoing as he flew.

He didn't know the answers...but he had an idea of who to _ask_.

Superman reached the Fortress of Solitude in minutes, opening the lock and heading in. He headed to a chamber he hadn't used in a while.

The Meditation Chamber.

Superman entered the Chamber, which was devoid of any equipment, save the door-control-panel, and was completely soundproof; if there was any emergencies, the panel would alert him.

Superman sat in the middle of the Chamber, sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes. He'd first come here to practice meditation techniques, to clear his mind. He still used it, when he had time. He focused on clearing his thoughts, on a higher plane...

In this chamber, just before he'd left the Fortress, he'd made perhaps his first ally.

"_Kal-El?_"

Superman smiled, as he opened his eyes, revealing the glowing-blue astral form of Doctor Strange, floating before him.

The astral form of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme resembled his physical one: a tall, lean man, in his early forties, with short black hair streaked with grey on the sides, and a trim black beard around his face, with sharp green eyes, clad in black pants and a light-blue silk shirt.

Doctor Strange had first traveled to the Fortress in astral state to assess him; his meditation training had almost let him reach the astral plane...drawing the attention of the Sorcerer Supreme. The good Doctor had thought to find a threat to Earth...but had been pleasantly surprised, finding that Kal-El was no invader, only a youth in the last stages of grief. In the few months before leaving, Superman and the Doctor had discussed several topics; he'd been glad to hear from such a worldly mind, as the Doctor had been a renowned neurosurgeon _before_ mastering the magic arts.

And now, he needed the Doctor's expertise once more.

"Hello, Doctor. It's good to see you; it's been some time." Superman said, smiling.

Doctor Strange smiled. "_Yes, it has._" he replied. "_You've been doing good things, 'Superman.' Charles has been telling me good things about you._"

Superman smiled. The field of telepathy often interacted with the astral plane, which meant that Professor Xavier was able to converse with Doctor Strange; the two were acquaintances.

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Doctor." Superman said. "I assume you've heard about the near-miss Earth had."

"_Yes._" Doctor Strange said. "_This 'Magneto' is certainly dangerous; rest assured, I will be keeping an Eye of Agamotto on him._"

"There's more." Superman said. "I have reason to believe that a sorcerer was involved."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "_By the Vishanti..._"

"Magneto was using superconductors to enhance his powers, but the North Pole isn't cool enough to achieve the temperatures needed; I believe that magic was used to cool the asteroid." Superman explained. "Furthermore, Magneto mentioned an associate who used magic to hide the country of Genosha."

The Doctor concentrated...and then answered, "_Yes, you are correct. Magic was used in both those places; in addition, a cloaking-spell was used to conceal its use, even from me. I know of only two sorcerers capable of this._"

"Who?" Superman asked.

"_I am one of them._" the Doctor said.

"And the other?"

The Doctor looked worried. "_Kal-El...you will not like this..._"

_Castle Doom, Doomstadt, Latveria_

Superman had taken flight, leaving the Fortress minutes ago, heading for Latveria after what he'd been told. Currently, he was flying over the dark, dreary country of Latveria, its industrial plants pumping out black smoke...with the ominous Castle Doom looming in the distance.

Superman flew towards the Castle, expecting resistance...but found none. He touched down, walking into the Castle, heading down the long, stone hallway, and opened the massive steel door, coming into a vast throne room.

"_Oh, please, do come in._"

Superman's eyes narrowed as he saw Dr. Doom, sitting on the throne, a chess table in front of him, no-one else in the room; he was his own opponent. Doom was tall, made of living metal, with cold yellow eyes behind his metal mask, a green cloak around his shoulders, trimmed in white fur, the hood over his head, clasped at his shoulder.

"Dr. Doom." Superman said flatly. "Since you were expecting me, you must know _why_ I'm here."

"_Indeed._" Doom replied, moving a white pawn to capture a black one. "_I assume you know about my assistance rendered to Erik Lensherr. What I do not understand is why you wish to discuss it; you have no proof._"

"I guess it's a personal matter." Superman replied. "Something I need to know: _why_."

"_My reasons are my own._" Doom answered.

"Will these 'reasons' cause you to do anything _else_ like this in the future?" Superman inquired.

Doom paused as he was moving a bishop to take a white pawn, staring flatly at Superman. "_I do not see how that is your concern._"

Superman's eyes narrowed. "If it puts innocent people in danger, it concerns me."

"_Ah. Yes, of course._" Doom said. "_I suppose we have a problem then, don't we?_"

"I suppose we do." Superman said.

Doom turned from his chess game, looking at Superman. "_Magneto told me of you...Kal-El._" he said. "_What you do not seem to understand is that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of people in this world: the kings,_" he gestured to himself, "_and everyone else._"

"_You, however, choose the way of the hero; you are not one of the riff-raff, yet you refuse to be a king._" Doom continued. "_That, my alien friend, both intrigues and disturbs me. Normally, I would be **immensely** offended at someone coming into my house without permission, but in light of your...unique nature, I will simply offer you a piece of advice._"

His metal fist clenched. "_Until you decide which kind you are...it would be wise not to meddle in the affairs of kings._"

Superman's eyes narrowed. "I assume you've explained this to the people of Latveria." he said. "They don't seem to be in any hurry to 'meddle' in your affairs."

Doom chuckled, standing up. "_When I assumed power, Kal-El, Latveria was a political nonentity; now, its economy is one of the most competitive in the world, with one of the finest armed forces in Europe._" he said, his arms spreading, as if encompassing the whole country. "_If, then, my people are in awe of me, it is only because they have every **reason** to be._"

Superman managed to stay calm. "Tell me, Doctor, have you ever read Plato's '_The Republic_'?"

Doom chuckled. "_Why, yes._" he replied. "_From it, I learned that the ideal state could only be achieved by a leader with absolute control over the country. Only then could an ideal state be achieved; people will not simply do what is in their best interest, so they must be...convinced._"

'_Figures._' Superman thought. "Well, I learned something quite different." he said. "I learned that a true leader must be motivated by two things. First, a true leader must be guided by what he knows is good for his people; he must have achieved enlightenment, and gained the knowledge of what is good and right. Second, a true leader must be moved by love for his people. A leader must care so much for his people that he is willing to leave an enlightened state and help them; that he must do what is necessary out of love." He glared at Doom. "A true leader, then, would do what his people needs, and ask for _nothing_ in return."

Doom arched an eyebrow behind his mask. "_You read the right books._"

"I'm a man of hidden talents."

"_As well as high ideals._" Doom replied. "_A rare combination. But then, you're a rare being, aren't you?_"

His eyes narrowed behind his mask. "_Magneto believes that a war is coming._" he said. "_I believe that he is right._"

Superman walked towards Doom, looking him right in the eye. "Then know this, Doom." he said. "In the future, I will be there to _stop_ it."

With that, he reached for the chess board, and moved a black rook, taking a white bishop. Then, he turned and left, taking to the sky as soon as he was under open air, heading home.

Doom simply watched as Superman flew off. He glanced to his chess board...and then looked again.

Chuckling, he reached over, and tapped his white king, tipping it over.

_Checkmate_.

He had not been sure exactly what to expect from this...'Superman.' He had truly been surprised.

His hand went to his belt...which held the concealed space-rock fragment that he'd gotten from Magneto, just in case. He'd half-expected to have to use it.

He'd also expected this Superman to be a cliche-spouting _fool_...not the sharp-minded, powerful being who he had just seen.

He, too, knew of Irene Adler's prophecy, and of her veracity. Kal-El was truly capable of what Magneto thought he was capable of.

His power was incredible, as was his intelligence; Doom would enjoy having him as an opponent in a philosophical debate.

He would be a truly worthy adversary, if it ever came to that.

Doom believed that he had lost his capacity for awe at the same time as he lost his capacity for affection. But now, he was glad to have been proven wrong about awe.

And as for affection...

"Father?"

Doom smiled, as he heard the only voice that could invoke such a response from him. He turned, and saw his adopted daughter walk down the stairs, smiling at him.

Anita LeRoux, a vision at the age of 17, her long, shimmery chestnut tresses tied into a bun at the base of her neck, her emerald eyes glittering like the pearls laced around her throat, clad in a long, gleaming green dress, concealing her flawless legs and accentuating her ample curves. She walked towards her father, curtsying, her every motion graceful enough to put a _princess_ to shame.

And that was exactly what she was, after being raised by a _king_.

He'd discovered her eleven years ago, before his change, in a 'children's mental hospital,' left there by her parents, Mark and Diane LeRoux, two prominent Quebec industrialists, owners of LeRoux Enterprises. It had been a glorious accident, finding her; he'd bought the hospital, with the intent to tear it down to make room for the latest division of Van Damme Industries.

To this day, he didn't truly understand it...but seeing that little six-year-old girl had awakened fatherly impulses he didn't know he had.

He confessed, he'd doted on her, after first finding her. It had been refreshing, having this tiny little creature who only needed affection to renew her almost-shattered spirit.

However, he'd soon learned the truth. She was a mutant. Her powers manifesting early had caused her parents to abandon her.

Anita's powers dealt with her _voice_. Apparently, her parents often left her alone with an abusive nanny. Anita had one day gotten so fed up with her tormentor, she'd simply _ordered_ her to go jump out a window...

...which the nanny promptly _did_.

Anita could alter the pitch of her voice to extend into UHF and ULF, sounds that were "felt" rather than "heard" by the human nervous system...making them very susceptible to the suggestive power of her voice.

Doom had then taken it upon himself to train her in the use of her talents. He'd been stern, a strict taskmaster in his daughter's lessons, but it was for her own good. At first, his daughter had cried at how stern he'd become, straining heart-strings he'd forgotten he had, but he kept on, for her sake.

Soon, she began to thrive, learning the sorcery he taught her, taking in every lesson he could give her, her spirit focused by the discipline he'd imposed. He'd been – and still was – immensely proud of her.

And now, she was the dazzling, powerful young sorceress that stood before him, today. She'd mastered her mutant gift, with complete use of her vocal talents, giving her an utterly supernatural control over nearly _anyone_ who heard her dulcet tones, as well as a "sonic scream" of impressive destructive force. She'd also gained control of her parents' commercial empire...after her parents' unexpected suicide.

Justice worked in mysterious ways.

Doom had first embraced his transformation when it had happened...but after, he became worried; he'd become the royal warrior he'd trained to be...

...but what would his daughter think?

He'd shown himself to his daughter, ready to face her reaction. She had not screamed. She had not run. She'd simply hugged him, saying, "_I love you, Papa._"

Doom was not given to emotion...but on that day, he'd come very close to tears.

This was why he'd supported Magneto's dream. If mutants would ever revealed, his daughter would be discriminated against.

_He would not have it._

And now, back in the moment, he recalled the other reason. "_Spying on your father, Anita?_" he mock-scolded. "_Have I not taught you courtesy?_"

Anita smiled. "But Papa," she replied, "I heard you talking to someone. I was curious!"

Doom chuckled. "_We will discuss that later._" he said. "_I assume you saw who I was speaking with. What do you think of him?_"

Anita smiled, idly twirling a loose strand of her chestnut hair, glancing to where Kal-El had been. "I'm impressed." she cooed. "He actually defeated you at chess." She giggled. "I've _never_ been able to do that!" She smiled. "His power is impressive, like his intelligence..." her smile turned utterly _feline_, "...and he's not bad to look at, either."

_This_ was the other reason. If Kal-El was to lead the mutant race, then Anita would be at his side. He knew that Anita was of the age to be interested in men, but there were none worthy of his daughter's company, of her beauty, wit, and charm...

...until _now_.

Besides, he'd once hoped for a son of his own, though he would not trade his precious daughter for _anything_. Since he could no longer beget a noble son of his own...a noble son-in-law would do just fine.

"_Anita, my dear, until now, there has been no man worthy of you. I would like to say that, if you choose to pursue him, I will approve. I can think of no man better for you._" Doom said.

Anita smiled brightly. "Thank you, Papa." she said, lightly bowing.

"_But not yet, my dear."_ Doom continued. "_There are yet some lessons for you to learn before you encounter him. Let Kal-El have his victory._"

Anita sweetly pouted. "But why, Papa? Why must I wait? I can easily enchant him!"

"_Now, Anita, you know how I have cautioned you against overconfidence. Magneto told me that Kal-El withstood the immense pain of the space-rock for four hours, and seemed capable of withstanding more. Magic is ultimately the manifestation of your will; Kal-El's willpower is not to be underestimated._"

Anita nodded dutifully. "Yes, Father." she said. Smiling, she added, "But, to be honest, willpower is something that men do not seem to have, near me."

Doom half-smiled; that, too, was true. Anita's mere presence reduced young men to near _incoherence_. "_Nevertheless, you will wait._" he said, and Anita nodded. "_Ah, I meant to ask you: what was that name you have given yourself?_"

Anita smiled. "_Siryn_, Father."

Doom smiled. "_Come, then, my little Siryn, for we will begin your lessons immediately._" With that, he left the throne room, his daughter following.

Before too long, Superman had returned home, darting into the Kent home, his mother greeting him. "Is everything okay, Clark?"

Superman smiled. "Yeah, Ma; just tying up a few loose ends."

Glancing to the dinner table, he saw that everyone had sat down, and had started. "_Whoa!_ Clark, your Mom _is_ a genius!" Alex exclaimed.

"Be thankful that _Fred_ doesn't know about your Mom, Clark! You'd _never_ get him out of here!" Lance laughed.

Remy glanced to Martha. "_Madame_ Kent, y' be a _saint_!" he said. "T' do all dis fo' a bunch o' unruly drop-ins, y' goin' straight t' 'eaven!"

Martha laughed. "Oh, _stop_!" she exclaimed. To Superman, she added, "Now, Clark, have a seat!"

Superman was about to...when his hearing picked something up. "_Uh-oh._"

By now, _everyone_ knew what that meant. "Uh-oh."

Superman smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, everyone. Just save me a sandwich."

Martha smiled. "No problem, honey."

Superman smiled, kissed his Ma good-bye, and was out the door and into the air in two seconds.

As he flew, Superman just savored the thrill, the sheer joy of flight, reflecting on all that had happened in the past year.

He'd thought he was alone...and now he was part of a _family_.

He'd found his place in the world. He knew his purpose in life.

Smiling, Superman flew on, towards the emergency.

His life had _begun_.

_THE END_

_Author's Note: Wow. That was one of the longest stories I've ever written. I hope you all liked it!_

_Just so you know, I do plan to do a sequel. I hope to start soon after Christmas. Be on the lookout for "The Last Son, Book Two: Reckonings."_

_Before I leave, I just want to address a few things._

_First of all, Anita LeRoux, A.K.A. "Siryn," is a character I developed on my own. She's base on the comic-book Siryn, but she's mostly of my own design, with her own back-story and her own abilities that make her distinct from the comics Siryn. You'll be seeing her in the sequel._

_Next, I do plan to pair Clark with someone in the sequel…but, and I may as well say it now, it won't be Lois Lane._

_Don't get me wrong, I like Lois. She's smart, cute, funny, and tougher than a Sunday steak on Thursday. It's just that, after seeing where the Clark/Lois relationship ended up in "Superman Returns," if I try to write about her, I'll just end up getting myself depressed thinking about it._

_Sorry, Lois. Better luck next time._

_That said, I plan to pair Clark up with an X-Girl who was never incarnated in the Evolution universe. If you want to find out who…you'll have to read the sequel._

_All I ask is that, when she makes her debut, you just give her a chance. That's all I ask._

_Finally, I want to thank everyone who reviewed my story. You're all awesome! I hope to hear from you all again in Book Two! Thanks a million, all of you!_

_So, now that my story is done…until we meet again!_


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